


Needed Interaction

by NanoTwentyFaces



Category: RWBY
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Gen, Oscar misses everyone and needs attention, Touch-Starved, interaction starved, possible rosegarden
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-08
Updated: 2020-10-06
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:34:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 35,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22611868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NanoTwentyFaces/pseuds/NanoTwentyFaces
Summary: With everyone being official huntsmen, they’re all away for most of the time, and Oscar is stuck alone at the academy. It soon becomes apparent to RWBY and JNR that something is going on with Oscar. They each spend time with him to try and figure it out and maybe coax the answer out of him, when the answer is right in front of their faces.
Relationships: Jaune Arc & Oscar Pine, Jaune Arc & Oscar Pine & Lie Ren & Nora Valkyrie, Oscar Pine & Everyone, Oscar Pine & Ruby Rose, Oscar Pine & Team RWBY
Comments: 63
Kudos: 206





	1. Something's Up

**Author's Note:**

> Originally a one-shot, but the setup ended up wayyyy longer, so it will be a multi-chapter story. The aim will be for each other team member to have one-on-one chapters with Oscar, some may overlap. Lots of adorable and sweet moments lie ahead (with some possible heart tugging ones)!

_ “I’m sorry, Oscar. But for the time being I must ask that you remain here in Atlas at the academy. As time has proven…..Salem’s followers could be anywhere,we can’t take the risk of anything happening to you right now.” _

Oscar huffed, stepping away from the window in his room overlooking the grand city. He flopped down on his back onto the bed, taking to staring up at the bunk above him now. General Ironwood’s words echoing back to him again. He understood the General’s reasoning, why he made him stay here, but at the same time the confinement made him restless. It was almost suffocating now. 

When the plans for starting the Amity Tower launch started he’d been excited. Having global communications again, and getting to part of the reason it was happening excited him. The day of the mission start, he was ready to go with the others, until the General and Clover stopped him in the hall, delivering the bad news. Undoubtedly, they could tell at the time how disappointed he was, Clover ruffling his hair and assuring he’ll see him out the field someday, the General keeping a hand resting on his shoulder. Qrow had even come by later, donned in his new gear, giving him the same apologies and explanations. Oscar didn’t miss how Qrow’s eyes flickered to the Relic in his hands for a moment before he left.

And even when everyone boarded the ships to head to the launch site, they all apologized and said their pieces. Ruby tried to give some optimism, but also wouldn’t look him in the eyes, Weiss softly rubbed his head giving him a soft smile, Yang gave him a thumbs up while Blake leaned down to gently squeeze his shoulder, Nora simply hugged the life out of him while Jaune and Ren had to pull her away. All of them assuring him they’d see him when they get back; the Ace Ops too. Watching the airships fly away left a tight pain in his chest. 

The first time he wasn’t going with them somewhere. 

Ever since Oscar had joined up with the group, they’d practically been inseparable. They were together for everything, he had gone with them through every fight in their mission. Even when things became tense in the group with the Ozpin situation, they were still all together. Even when he ran away for hours, they refused to leave without him and he couldn’t forget the crowding and hugging when they found him at the house. He’d been so used to being with just his Aunt, alone most of the time, and then he had practically an entire family. But now he can’t be a part of the mission with them. 

He still understood why. But he still hated it. It made him feel like something was wrong, something was missing. All he could do was sit here and wait for whenever the others came back. He could train, wander the academy, read in the library. He could do some things to pass the time, but nothing seemed to fill that hole. 

The door opening pulled him away from his thoughts. He tilted his head to see who it was; Jaune, Ren, and Nora. Oscar couldn’t help himself from smiling and jumping up from the bed. 

“Hey, you’re back!”

“Hey, Oscar.” Jaune smiled back at him. He could tell it was a tired smile as Jaune set down his weapon by the door. “What’d you do today?”

“Just more training.” Oscar shrugged, “What about you guys?” 

“Perimeter defense.” Ren sat on his bed, beginning to take apart Stormflower to clean it as he usually did when he got back. 

“You should have seen Ren out there today,” Nora sauntered past Oscar, eyeing Ren with that look in her eyes, “I don’t think i’ve ever seen him so fierce. He’s quite the huntsman.~” Ren just made a noise in acknowledgement, not looking up from his work, Oscar catching Nora pursing her lips in disappointment, walking over to her own bed. That was becoming a usual thing he took note of too. 

Being stuck at the academy really let him take particular notice of many things now. 

Oscar turned back to Jaune who had a pan in his hand. Oscar tilted his head, a quizzical smile on his face. “Another one?”

“Yes,” Jaune dropped his head back to look at the ceiling, “Another casserole.”

Oscar couldn’t hold back the giggle that escaped his lips. 

“Hey, you try having a bunch of older women constantly borderline flirt with you and give you casseroles.” Jaune poked at Oscar jokingly. 

“I feel like I kind of already get that with Nora and Neon.” Oscar whispered back to Jaune. 

The comment didn’t go unheard as he was swept up into a tight hug and dropped, Nora cupping his face. “Well who could blame us when you’re such a cute and sweet little farm boy? We can’t help but love you!”

Normally, Oscar would be flushing in embarrassment and awkwardness at Nora’s comments about him being cute, and sometimes trying to slip away from her grasp. But, being away from them most of the time now had him laughing and hovering his hands over hers on his face. 

“Did you guys eat dinner yet?” Oscar asked, Nora letting go of him. “I didn’t really look at what they have in the cafeteria today. And I doubt you want to eat more casserole.”

“Yeah, it’s not as good as yours.” Nora commented. “Just don’t tell the moms that.” 

Ren spoke up from his bed, “We were planning on asking if Ruby and the others wanted to join us for dinner.” He gave Oscar a smile. “And it goes without saying you’re invited.” 

“Give us a little bit to wash up,” Jaune began removing pieces of his armour, “And then we’ll meet up with the others. I’ll message Ruby-”

“Why don’t I go ask them,” Oscar piped up, “They got back with you guys right?”

Jaune paused to look at him before minimizing his scroll. “Okay.” 

“Just be sure to knock first.” Ren added.

“R-right!” Oscar’s cheeks flushed, fully comprehending the instruction from Ren. “I-I know that.”

Oscar stepped out of their room, a bounce in his step, closing the door behind him. Messaging them would have been easier and probably a lot quicker. He knew he got looks from the other three. The words had just come out of his mouth without him thinking about it. He couldn’t help it. Just hearing Ruby’s name made him think about them all, and excited to see them; no, more like a desire to see them. He paused outside Team RWBY’s room. They were just right across the hall from them. He took a breath, making himself pause for a moment. But that didn’t stop his hand from raising with two quick knocks on the door. 

“One second!” A voice sounded from the other side. 

Oscar folded his hands in front of him, rubbing at his arm. His leg fidgeted where he stood. Only a few seconds of waiting for this door to open felt like hours. 

Finally it opened with a “click”, Blake coming into view, smiling and ears perking up when she looked down, seeing him. “Hi, Oscar. What’s up?”

“Hi, Blake.” Oscar tried to control the growing smile on his face, eyes darting away from her a few times. “Is it alright if I come in?”

“Of course,” she opened the door further, stepping to the side to let him in. “We just got back with Jaune and them. Ruby and Yang are just putting their weapons up, they should be here in a minute.”

“Okay, I can wait for them.” 

Oscar turned his head at the clicking of heels into the room. Weiss stepped into the room from their bathroom, her hair out of its braid and laying completely down. She smiled at him, the same way she always did. 

“Oh, hi, Oscar.”

“Hi,” Oscar gave a small wave, his gaze still fixated on her hair. He squeaked, realizing he was staring. “S-sorry, I didn’t mean to stare. Just not used to seeing you with your hair down.” He rubbed the back of his head, feeling his cheeks heating up. 

Weiss giggled, “It’s okay. I just needed to take it down for a moment after today’s missions. It was a mess.”

“You could always just do what I did,” Blake quipped, giving a small flip of her hair, “it  _ is _ a lot easier to take care of.”

“If I cut my hair, i’d have no doubt Ruby would start crying.” Weiss answered, grabbing her hairbrush from the table and sitting down in front of the vanity. She pulled a lock of hair, pulling it over her shoulder to start brushing it. 

“Here,” Oscar stepped over to her, hands fidgeting together in front of him. “If you’re okay with it, of course-” He awkwardly held out a hand, “I could…”

She paused, giving him a questioning look, but then back to a smile. “Oscar, it’s okay, I’ve been brushing my hair with it this long for a long time.”

“You all have been working really hard and I can see how tired you guys are a lot. I mean, i’m no expert with-” he tugged at a strand of his own hair, “-this, but brushing that much hair seems like it can take some effort.”

Weiss gave a lighthearted “ _ hmph _ ”, closing her eyes. Opening them, she surrendered the brush into Oscar’s hand, a playful smirk on her face. “Alright. I guess i’ll allow it this once.”

He smiled, moving quickly to stand behind her, carefully lifting a piece of hair up. Blake watched from her bed, her and Weiss shooting each other smiles in the mirror. 

Weiss’ hair is extremely soft. Even after a whole day of mission, being out in the field and fighting, her hair is still so soft and shiny. It reminded him of fresh fallen snow. The first snowfall of the season; light, powdery, can’t pack it into snowballs very well, but fluffy and pretty. He ran the brush through gently, careful to not pull on tangles and knots. 

“Your hair is really pretty, Weiss.” 

Oh no.

He’d said it without thinking again. He could feel his entire face going red, as he dropped it, looking away. “S-sorry! That just came out. Sorry if that was weird. Aw, geez….”

“Oscar,” the name came out with a small laugh, “It’s fine. That’s very sweet of you.” 

He continued brushing, trying to hide his smile behind her from being seen in the mirror. “You know….” He continued, the words just wanting to come out, “when you got this new outfit and hairstyle, I couldn’t help but think you were a princess. Like some of the ones in my books back home. I-I know Ruby and them call you “Ice Queen” but uh……” He trailed off, focusing on the brushing. 

“Huh,” Weiss sounded playfully, “The first day I met Ruby, she called me “princess”. She didn’t even know who I was.”

“You should’ve seen her.” Blake commented with a sly smile. “Ruby definitely pushed a few of her buttons, something she wasn’t used to back then.” Blake tilted her head at Weiss in the reflection of the mirror. 

“I don’t even want to think about how I acted back then.” Weiss let her shoulders slack, her eyes drifting up to the ceiling. 

Oscar set the brush down on the table, finished brushing. “I mean, when I met you, you were one of the nicest people….and you still are.” He fidgeted where he stood, rubbing at his hair. “I remember always hearing my Aunt talk about your family, she was usually irritated. So I really couldn’t believe it when I suddenly had…..memories of you, and then actually meeting you when I got to Mistral; not at all like people say.”

He caught Weiss smiling in the mirror as she grabbed her hair ties, beginning to re-braid her hair. “I’m proud of the person I am now.” She finally said. “I’ve worked to uphold my family name in a better way, in the way that it originally was by my grandfather.” She paused finishing the braid, reaching for her tiara clip. 

“My father may have taken my status as the heiress, but i’m still a Schnee, he can’t take that from me.” Her expression was hardened, looking at herself in the mirror, brushing her bangs into place with her hand over her left eye. 

Blake had stood up, walking over, placing her hands on Weiss’ shoulders. “No he can’t. He can’t ever take who you are away from you. And none of us would let him.” Weiss gave a thankful smile in her reflection, a hand coming up to rest over one of Blake’s. 

The three stayed there in warm silence until the door burst open, Ruby and Yang waltzing inside. Ruby’s eyes lit up spotting Oscar in the room. His eyes equally lighting up in return.

“Ah, Oscar!” She skipped over to him, their hands coming up to hover over the other’s just shy of holding them. 

“Hi, Ruby. Sounds like you had fun today.” He awkwardly smiled at her. Why was he always like this when he tried to talk to her? 

“Oh we just took care of more Grimm at the launch site.” Ruby waved her hand. “But I got to try out my upgrade to Crescent Rose more.” She swung her arms around, mimicking holding her scythe. “I think I’m really coming up with some cool moves with it. Oh I wish you could come with us to see it!”

“You can show me in training sometime.” Oscar ran his hand through his hair again. “Maybe I can even help you come up with some other ones. Only if you want of course!” He quickly added at the end. 

“Of course I’d love that!” Ruby raised her arms to the ceiling. “We have training tomorrow, so maybe we can spar together. I probably need to be working on my hand-to-hand more.” She placed her hands behind her back, one rubbing the back of her head while she gave a guilty smile. 

“Are you sure you wanna still spar with Oscar?” Yang piped in, crossing her arms smugly. “He’s been sparring with the General. He might not be so easy for you to take on now.”

“I don’t know if I’m  _ that _ good yet.” Oscar chuckled, hiding his eyes in his bangs, looking at the floor. “But he’s definitely not going easy on me. Anyway,” He lifted his head, “Jaune, Ren, Nora, and I were going to get some dinner. You guys want to come with?”

“Yes!” Ruby immediately answered. “I’m starving!” The others gave nods of agreement. 

“Great!” Oscar smiled, jogging to the door, “I’ll go let them know! They should just be a few minutes.”

“Okay,” Yang ruffled his hair as he passed. “We’ll see you all down at the cafeteria then. Save you a spot.”

Atlas’ lived up to its reputation in every way, even the cafeteria food was nothing short of good. It wasn’t his Aunt’s home cooking, but it still was delicious. 

Dinner was filled with everyone telling him stories of their missions for the day; the Grimm they encountered, the new progress on Amity Tower, status of Mantle. Oscar loved hearing all of it. He loved stories in general, but hearing about his friends in action was even more exciting. 

“Wow,” Oscar breathed out as Ruby finished hers, “that’s amazing.” He suddenly looked down at his plate, pushing what was left around. “I wish I could be there to see all of it….”

He could feel the pause between everyone. Jaune and Ren shifted beside him. He’d done it again. What was with him and speaking thoughts like this without thinking? Quickly he lifted his head, plastering a smile on his face. “So what do you think you’ll all be doing tomorrow?” Change the subject. 

Weiss spoke first. “Winter said there isn’t another supply run due til the day after. Most likely it’ll be perimeter defense for the site while more work is done.” 

“We may need more help at the Mantle walls.” Ren said, folding his hands under his chin. “Seems like there’s more and more Grimm every time we go.”

“I can join you guys.” Ruby piped up. “Not to brag, but Crescent Rose is excellent at tearing through groups of Grimm.” Ren smiled at the comment. 

“I can go with Weiss to the launch site, then.” Blake added. 

“I’ll go with Ruby and you guys to the walls.” Yang said. “I think the upgrades Pietro gave to Ember Celica could help too.”

“Jaune?” Oscar tilted his head at him.

Jaune sighed, “It’s a weekday, so it’s another day of escorting kids.”

“Jaune, you know if you don’t feel like doing the job anymore, you can just switch.” Ruby said, giving him a small smile. “You could probably talk to Clover and he can find you another job.”

Jaune sagged, “They need someone to make sure the kids get to school safely, especially with the situation with the walls. I picked the job, so i’m gonna stick through it.”

Oscar really had come to admire Jaune. When Ozpin was still around, he was able to see a few memories of Jaune at Beacon. They were memories of someone much more goofy and not so confident. And he would never let Jaune know he knew, but even though Jaune had used fake transcripts to get into Beacon, he was still incredible in Oscar’s eyes. Maybe it was that Oscar was able to see a bit of himself in Jaune. Someone who came into this with no experience, just learning. Now Jaune was someone so strong, and getting stronger every day. Even with their rough patch in Argus, Oscar still looked up to him. 

Walking back to their rooms, Oscar couldn’t help but walk close by the others. He had to discreetly move his hand back when he almost grabbed Nora’s as they walked beside one another, her hand brushing his. He settled to keeping his hands in front of him, held at the wrist. Like dinner, he didn’t have much to add to the conversations that continued. Everyone got to go out and do so much, help people, get stronger and better. All Oscar could do was stay at the Academy and train, by himself or with General Ironwood when he had time. General Ironwood wasn’t the easiest for him to talk to. It wasn’t like General Ironwood was mean, he had been nothing but kind to Oscar ever since they arrived. Though he was intimidating at times, and there were many times it seemed that he was wanting to more talk to Ozpin than him. He didn’t blame him, they were still hiding the truth from him why Ozpin was gone. He was under the impression they could simply get Ozpin back. 

When they’d gotten back to their rooms, Oscar could feel his heart sink a little. Everyone would be heading off to bed no doubt, they were exhausted and needed to be ready for tomorrow. Immediately in the morning, they’d be off to their morning meeting and then off to their assignments. This time of day was usually the only time that he got to really see everyone and spend time with them. They had training every other day or so, but even then everyone was doing different things in training now that they were at the Academy and with the Ace Ops. They had their team match against Team FNKI, but if Oscar was being honest with himself, he wasn’t really a member of the team. Sure Jaune had told him in Argus the team wasn’t the same without him, but something was still there. He just didn’t feel like he really was. He wasn’t an official huntsmen, and he’d only been with them for just shy of two months. Jaune, Ren, and Nora were a huntsmen team, he was just kind of there to fill a gap. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t give everything he had to help them still. 

He watched from his bunk up top as the others got ready for bed, each with their nightly routines. They each had to go put their weapons back in storage until tomorrow, leaving Oscar time for himself to change into his own pj’s and climb up to his bunk, opening the book he’d been reading today. At least the library was able to help him pass some time. His eyes peeked over every moment of so from his book to the others below. 

Jaune glanced up at him. “Are you staying up to read? I can leave the light on.”

“No, that’s okay.” Oscar replied, closing the book. “I don’t want to keep any of you up. I’ll have plenty of time tomorrow anyway.” He hopped down from his bunk, placing the book back on the desk. 

“Alright.” Jaune moved to turn down the lights, Ren and Nora moving into their own bunks. He stopped as there was a knock at the door. Opening it, Ruby peeked her head in, her eyes flickering to Oscar and then quickly to Jaune. 

“Uh, hey, Jaune.” 

“What’s up, Ruby?” Jaune asked. 

“Uh-” She stammered a little, lingering in the doorway. Oscar didn’t miss that this was Ruby’s normal behavior when she was trying to hide something. “Uh, Clover needs to talk to us real quick. In the meeting room. All of us.” 

Jaune raised an eyebrow, looking back at everyone in the room. “Um, okay. What does he need to talk about?”

“Just come on!” Ruby grabbed his arm, dragging him out of the room, Jaune sputtering out noises of resistance. Nora shrugged her shoulders, Ren following behind her. 

“Good night, I guess.” Oscar waved them off, watching them go. 

“It probably won’t take that long.” Nora backtracked to him, booping his nose. “We’ll be back in just a few minutes.”

  
  


~  ~

“Ruby!” Jaune stumbled behind her still dragging him down the hall. “Ruby, hang on a second!” Finally she stopped, letting go of his arm. He took a breath, looking down at her. “Does Clover  _ actually _ need to talk to us?”

“Nope.” She said, popping the ‘p’ as she usually did. “I don’t even know where he is right now.” She shrugged her arms with a guilty smile. 

“Then why are we all out here?”

Ruby’s eyes flicked to behind him, the others catching up to them. She waited for everyone to arrive before speaking. “We have a question.”

“Okay…..what?” Jaune inquired. 

“It’s about Oscar.” Blake said, crossing her arms, her ears folded slightly. 

“What about him?” Ren spoke up. 

“Does it seem like there’s something going on with him?” Weiss folded her arms, looking to Jaune. 

“What do you mean?” Jaune shook his head, angling his head at them in confusion. “I’m not following you guys.”

“You remember how he was acting earlier today? When we all got back?” Weiss continued. “And then at dinner?”

“I mean, he sounded disappointed that he can’t go on missions with us.” Jaune ran a hand through his hair. “That doesn’t seem out of place.” 

Yang finally spoke up. “Has he seemed…..not exactly the right word but….a bit clingy...lately?”

Jaune’s expression tightened, looking at the floor, processing the question. Ren was the first to answer her. “Now that you mention it……” He started. “Oscar has been acting a bit different lately when he sees us.”

“What do you mean?” Jaune looked back towards Ren. “I haven’t really noticed anything.”

“That’s why ‘clingy’ might not be the exact word for it.” Yang said. “But something’s definitely going on with him.”

“He’s been talking with us and acting in ways that we really haven’t seen before.” Blake continued off Yang’s statement. “Especially when he was with Weiss and I in our room earlier.”

“It’s like a forwardness about being with us, but he’s trying to hide it.” Weiss finished. “I know Oscar isn’t very open with us with personal stuff, but the way he’s acting is no doubt out of the norm for him.”

Jaune folded his arms, thinking; about earlier that day when they got back or any other day. Things seemed normal. They’d go out to their missions, Oscar would go off to his training, usually they didn’t have time to meet up in the morning, they’d see each other at the end of the day, or they’d have off days to just train together. A small pit formed in his stomach. They really didn’t know that much about Oscar. He’d been with them for how long now, and yet they couldn’t decide if he wasn’t acting normally, if something was wrong? And he was his teammate, his leader, for crying out loud, he should be one of the first people to notice if something’s not right. Was there something that seemed different? 

He blinked, his eyebrows creasing tight in concern. Earlier that day, and almost every other day that he could remember before that. But most importantly, the day they first became official huntsmen. His brain put together the pieces. Oscar’s look of disappointment, the way he looked when he was told he couldn’t go with them, watching them leave on the ship, all the way to today where every time they returned he seemed so excited to see them, the way he trained so hard with them when they were together. 

“You’re right…..” It came out above a whisper. He nodded his head, still looking towards the floor. “Something’s different. But what exactly is it?”

Ruby finally spoke again. “Do you think it’s because he isn’t licensed like us? Because General Ironwood decided to keep him here for training, he can’t go with us on missions. It sounded like he really wishes he could earlier.”

“Maybe….” Ren sounded. 

“You know we could just ask him.” Nora chimed in, raising a finger. 

“If we’re being honest with ourselves,” Blake said, wrapping an arm across herself, “we don’t really know Oscar that well. We don’t know if outright asking him could make it worse. He may try to hide it, pull away from us.”

“Okay,” Jaune took a breath, “we’ll keep a close eye on him for the next couple of days. Try to see if we can discreetly get some kind of answer out of him, or ease it out of him. If that doesn’t work,” He sighed, “then we sit him down and ask him outright. I just…..don’t want to scare him, make him feel like he did something wrong.”

The others nodded in agreement. 

“We should get back.” Ren said. “We said we’d only be a few minutes, if you wanted to make your story seem believable.”

“I’m not good at lying like that! You remember that time Oobleck caught me late to class!” Ruby pointed a finger at Ren. 

“If this is settled, then good night.” Weiss pivoted on her heel, heading back down the hall to their room. 

Closing the conversation, the group headed back to their rooms, following Weiss. Quietly, Jaune opened the door to their room. The desk lamp had been left on, the main lights off. Oscar was already in his bunk, turned away from them towards the wall. He didn’t move when the door opened, meaning he was already asleep. The three shared a look, before moving to their own bunks, switching off the desk lamp. 

They would find out what was wrong with Oscar, hopefully. 


	2. Sunrise and Sunset (Ruby's time)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby is the first to spend time with Oscar in hopes of determining what's wrong. Though a late return back to the Academy doesn't squander her plans as much as she thought once she finds Oscar in a very special place.

Ruby hated waking up super early. The past few weeks in Atlas she’d gotten used to early mornings just like back at Beacon. Wake up, get ready, grab some quick breakfast to-go, then head to the meeting room and decide jobs for the day. On most days, Penny would meet up with her by the time she finished getting her gear on. But, Penny would have to wait today. She’d set her scroll alarm for an hour earlier, setting at least 5 extra ones to make sure she woke up to Weiss’ annoyance. 

Throwing on her gear, fixing her hair quickly, she bounded down the halls of the Academy. She slowed to a walk every time she passed a pair of Atlas guards or other students, trying to look normal. The last thing she needed was to be stopped by someone to scold her for running in the halls; it already happened once. She skid to a stop outside a door, brushing her skirt and hair to make it look like she hadn’t run all the way here. She took a breath. 

“Uncle Qrow!!” She gave the door rapid knocks. 

Her knocking was cut off quickly by the door opening, revealing her Uncle, already dressed, but sleep definitely still in his eyes. His eyes narrowed at her, lips pursed to the side, a mug in his hand. 

“Ruby,” He began, raising an eyebrow, “I don’t remember asking for a wake-up call.”

“I need to talk to you.” Ruby started, she stopped as another figure walked up joining Qrow at his side. 

“Something going on here?” 

Clover. He also had a mug in hand, taking a sip from it, hand on his hip. 

Ruby tilted her head, looking between the two, raising an eyebrow at them. “Uncle Qrowwww…..why is Clover in your room?”

He gave her a deadpan look, tilting his head with a snap down at her. “Because we’re having coffee.” He gestured, lifting his mug up. 

Her eyes continued to flicker back and forth between the two of them, her eyebrows snapping up again at her uncle not convinced at the answer. His response was poking her hard in the forehead. “Stop that. Am I gonna have to have a talk with Yang?” She could hear Clover cough trying to cover up a chuckle in taking another sip from his mug. 

“Okay!” Ruby waved his hand away. “That’s not what’s important right now! I need to talk to you.”

“Okay, spill, what is it?” Qrow brought his mug up to his lips, leaning against the doorframe. Ruby’s eyes flicked to Clover for half a second before moving forward quickly, grabbing her Uncle’s arm, pulling him into the room, then turning and trying to be as gentle as she could, push Clover out of the room. 

“Sorry Clover, private!” She sputtered out. Clover made a face of surprise as he was pushed, before simply shaking his head in a smile. 

“Ruby-” Qrow called out in protest behind her. 

Clover chuckled, “Private business, got it. I’ll see you both in the meeting room. Thanks for the coffee.” He gave both of them a wink, sauntering down the hall. 

She shut the door, slowly turning, giving an awkward smile up at her uncle who now stood without his coffee mug, arms crossed, and expression telling her she better start talking. “What’s so important you’re coming here this early and kicking military leaders out of a room?”

Ruby wrung her hands together. “I need your help with something.”

Qrow expression and stance softened, stepping back to sit on the couch in his room. Being a huntsmen of his ranking, and not to mention not being a student, meant he got an actual room, not a dorm. He leaned forward, folding his hands under his chin, elbows resting on his knees; the signal he was listening. 

“So….hypothetically….if you wanted to find out something from someone, but you couldn’t just ask them…..how would you do….that?” She cringed at her wording. 

“Are you asking me how to interrogate someone?”

“What? No!” She waved her hands frantically. “Just-how do you be discreet about getting an answer about something? Like for example-uhhhhh….”

“My dear niece, are you trying to ask someone out?” He raised an eyebrow at her. 

Her face flushed. Not just because of the question. Oscar was the subject on her mind, and being asked that at the same time suddenly sent a flurry of feelings in her chest and brain; his face, how he acts, every time they were around each other, how they almost held hands when she got back yesterday. Her asking out Oscar?

“No!” She squeaked high enough to shatter Qrow’s mug. She crossed her arms, her body curling up, turning her face away to try and hide the red in her cheeks. 

“Okay, okay,” Qrow laughed, holding his hands out in defense, “no crushes. So you want to know how to talk to someone without crossing a line is what i’m getting at. Kind of exactly like you’re doing now.”

“Yeah,” she relaxed. “How am I doing?”

Qrow gave a ‘hmph’, smiling at her. “Well as per usual, your poker face could use a lot of work.” He stood up. “Look the best way to go about it is to just be as natural as possible. Don’t try to force anything. Just let what you want to know flow easily into the conversation. Calm and casual, that’s the key.” He rested a hand on her shoulder. 

She smiled at him. “Thanks, Uncle Qrow.”

“Anytime.” He returned. “Don’t suppose I could ask what this is really all about? Is there something going on?”

She bit the inside of her lip, hesitating. “Well…” she started, wringing her hands, “we think there’s something going on with Oscar, but we’re not entirely sure, and we’re not sure how to ask him.”

Qrow tilted his head, nodding. “He’s a quiet kid. Wouldn’t surprise me if there’s something going on but he’s not saying anything. Anything I can do to help?”

“Help us keep an eye on him?” Ruby shrugged her shoulders. “I know you’re busy though.”

“I’ll see what I can do.” Qrow shoved his hands in his pockets. 

“Thanks.” Ruby smiled at him. 

~ ~

Oscar had the small luxury of being able to sleep in a little longer than everyone else. Not being an official huntsmen meant he didn’t have to go to the early morning meetings and job reviews. Training didn’t start until later that morning, sometimes later if the General was busy. Most of the time Oscar would start on his own to pass the time. But just because he was allowed to sleep in didn’t mean he ever did. Being a farmhand meant every morning was an early morning. His body was used to waking up at the same time every day. And he enjoyed mornings. That perfect time of day just as the sun is peeking over the horizon, painting the sky with pinks, purples, and oranges. It was one thing he appreciated that no matter how far away from the farm he went, the morning sky was always the same. While it felt different standing outside in the Atlas weather, the sight and feeling it gave him was just the same. 

Every morning he’d wake up before the others, usually dressed and ready just as they were starting to. There were the solemn ‘good mornings’ and ‘how’d you sleep’, but not much other conversation before they headed out to meet up with the Ace Ops and start their jobs for the day. Oscar would head to the cafeteria then to eat some breakfast and start preparing for his own day. Some days he’d eat outside, watching the sunrise. Sure it was chilly out, but he didn’t really mind, especially since Weiss had shown him how to use his aura to stay warm. After breakfast it was just waiting for training to start or for General Ironwood to call him for anything else. 

All the others had already left for their assignments by the time he’d gotten outside. Now all that was left was to wait now. The sun was just shy of finishing rising. But today, Oscar didn’t feel like staying until the end. That was something increasing every day, and he hated it. He loved the sunrise, but lately it just didn’t bring the same joy it once did. He hated being so aware of this feeling. 

He looked down at his lap, holding his hands together. The answer was becoming obvious with each day. He’d always watched the sunrise alone on his Aunt’s farm. But then he left, and met everyone else. 

He met Ruby. 

She was just like a sunrise. She reminded him of it so much; bright, vibrant, the promising of a new day. The red she wore and branded herself with mixed perfectly with a sunrise alongside the pinks, purples, and oranges. 

While they stayed at the house in Mistral, they’d regularly watched the sunrise together. At first it was just a one-time thing when Ruby couldn’t sleep and was up early, finding him already up, and him inviting her to sit with him; albeit awkwardly as they had still just met. But after that first time, they found each other waking up at the same time and heading outside to watch the sunrise until the others woke up. Sometimes they’d talk, other times they’d just sit in comfortable silence. He’d never shared that time with someone before. 

Now it was just him again. There wasn’t time for them to watch the sunrise anymore, much less any time for him to see Ruby in the morning. She was being swept off to being a huntress, while he had to stay behind and wait for her to return. But should he really be complaining? She was working to save the world. Every day she was going back out there to save lives and bring them closer to reuniting the world. The world was more important than him wanting to watch a sunrise together, and he wasn’t doing much to help save it right now anyway. He wasn’t a huntsmen, barely even a fighter. Without Ozpin, he was the weakest of the group, vulnerable. Ruby had trusted him with the relic to protect while they were all away, but he wasn’t really doing any protecting. Just another thing to be protected, an extra layer for the relic’s. General Ironwood took every precaution to make sure he stayed safe while he was here. 

But even with all those thoughts, he still wanted their time back. Even just for one day he wanted that time with Ruby back. He wanted it for himself, but also if anything to give her time to not have to worry about anything; a moment of peace. 

Blinking, he saw the spots forming on his coat. Huffing out a breath he brought a hand up, rubbing at his cheeks and eyes. What was with him? Crying over this? Shaking his head, he pushed himself up. There’s no time for crying right now. Everyone else was out there giving it their all and here he was crying over one little thing. (Was it little?). Taking a deep breath he turned on his heel, not bothering to look at the sky again. Maybe he could get an early start on training today….

~ ~

Ruby practically shot out of the airship once it landed. Ren and Nora hadn’t been exaggerating when they said that more Grimm had been appearing at the walls in Mantle. More Grimm meant that the work today took much more time than they thought. And all that extra time meant that they hadn’t gotten back the time they had planned on; the time that she planned to spend with Oscar. She hoped that he was still in the training room. 

In a blur of petals she skid into the room, looking around for any sign of Oscar. There was nothing. The lights weren’t even on. Oscar wasn’t here, meaning training was finished for the day for him. The General was already pushing Oscar pretty hard, asking him to train even more in one day was too much, and she’d promised to train with him yesterday when she got back. 

But that didn’t mean hope was lost. Maybe she couldn’t train with Oscar, but there were other ways to spend time with and talk to him. The only problem was finding him. Where was Oscar at this time of day? Ruby fidgeted as she rushed down the halls trying to think. It was dawning on her just how much time they were away now. She didn’t even have any idea where Oscar could be. There’s no way he’d just be staying in the dorm all the time. Or would he? A pit formed in her stomach. She should know Oscar well enough to figure out where he would be. Her steps quickened to almost running, not even thinking about where she was going, maybe she was just hoping to turn a corner and find Oscar. 

Turning the corner the corner she did find someone, but definitely not Oscar. Not paying attention, she collided right into them, her whole vision seeing white and some dark blue. 

“Oh, Miss Rose.” 

She rubbed her forehead, scrambling back and looking up. Straight at General Ironwood. 

“Ah, sorry!” She blurted out, wringing her hands. “I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

Ironwood just chuckled silently, looking down at her. “It’s fine. In a rush?”

“You could say that.” Ruby bit her lip. “You wouldn’t happen to know where Oscar is would you? I was supposed to meet up with him, but we were a bit late…more than a bit late.”

“Hmm….” Ironwood looked away from her for a moment, pondering. “Oscar and I finished his training early today, last I saw I believe he was heading towards the school gardens. Oz always did like them when he visited. I’d say check there.”

Ruby’s face lit up a little. “Thanks, General!” She started moving past him, trying to hide her run. 

“Of course.” He replied, continuing in the other direction. 

She’d never been to the school gardens. It’s not like she ever had time. They’d passed by it on Penny’s tour when they arrived, but never went inside. As she entered the first thought that came to her mind was how beautiful it was. Thriving, vibrant flowers and plants everywhere, a few small ponds and a fountain, all surrounded by hedges on the edges, it looked like there was even a hedge maze somewhere at the far end (hopefully Oscar wasn’t in there). She couldn’t help the smile of wonder and joy that crawled to life on her face as she stepped inside, turning as she walked, taking it all in. This would definitely be a place she could see Oscar being in. A beautiful garden like this must be a haven for a farmhand. 

“Oscar?” She called out, stopping by one of the ponds on the stone path. “Oscar!”

She glanced around with no answer. Several different paths laid around. If Oscar was here, she may never find him in time. Pulling out her scroll, she opened Oscar’s contact, pushing to call it. 

No answer. Frowning, she looked around again. Where should she start looking? Take a deep breath. Think. If she were Oscar, where would she like to go in a garden? What would she do?

Opening her eyes, she took a step forward, down the path to her left, a path of roses. The path winded with the bushes and flowers, becoming denser as she went. Finally, the path opened up to another clearing, a single tree on the side. She stopped, narrowing her eyes to peer up at the tree. Just distantly she could see something; a spot of red amongst the green. 

“Oscar?” She called out again, watching the red spot. It jumped when she called, moving and turning so now she could see dark brown and orange. She smiled to herself; Oscar. 

He stood up from the branch he was sitting on, holding onto the one above him, looking down to find her. Even through the leaves, she could see the smile on his face once he spotted her. “Ruby!”

He shifted his body just slightly when calling her name, but it was enough for his foot to slip on the branch. He tried to regain his balance, gripping at the branch above him, but all for not as he began to fall. With a shout he plummeted out of the tree. 

An all too familiar sound filled his ears; like a million tiny bells. And the sight of red closed around him cloaking him in darkness for just a moment. The feeling of something warm wrapping around him, and pulling him sideways enveloped him, his arms wrapped around it in return. His feet hit the ground, but he still felt like he was falling backwards. Opening his eyes, blinking, he found himself staring straight up into silver. He felt like he was falling backwards still because Ruby was holding him up around his waist and back, his arms were around her neck and under her arm. Their faces were really close as they stayed in place like that, Ruby’s hair just falling right above his cheek.

She gave an awkward smile and a small laugh. “Hi.”

He returned the same smile. “Hi….uh thanks.” Hopefully her shadow falling over him hid the red growing on his cheeks. 

“Yeah, no problem.” She giggled, still smiling awkwardly at him. 

They seemed to stay frozen like that for another moment, just staring at each other. Realizing, they slowly pulled apart, Ruby lifting Oscar to stand up all the way. Their arms hovered as they released each other, each once free snapping to rub the back of their head. 

“I’m sorry I’m so late.” Ruby started, moving her hand to now rub her arm. “I promised we’d train together.”

Oscar held his hands up, a compassionate smile. “It’s okay. I know you guys are busy out there so we can reunite Remnant. Don’t worry about it.”

“I still feel like I should make it up to you.” She smiled back at him. 

“Well….are you doing anything right now?” He sheepishly asked. 

“Nope!” She replied, standing up straight. “Totally free! So we can do anything you want to do. I can still show you those new moves. You don’t have to spar with me, I know you already finished for the day and I don’t want to overwork you.” 

“Ruby.” Oscar cut her off.

“Oh, sorry. Rambling again.” Ruby gave a guilty smile. “So….” She looked up into the tree, “what were you doing up there?”

“Oh, nothing really.” Oscar said, shifting on his feet. “Just felt like sitting up there.”

“Do you come here often?” Ruby folded her hands behind her back, rocking on her feet, looking around again at the garden. “I forgot this place was even here.”

“Yeah, sometimes.” He replied. “It’s nice.” He placed a hand on the tree. “It honestly reminds me of home a little.”

“Are you….homesick?” Ruby watched him carefully. 

“Sometimes.” Oscar answered, looking at the ground, his mouth twitching in a somber smile. “But i’ve gotten used to this now, and I should.”

“It’s okay if you do, Oscar.” Ruby stepped closer to him. “I still do.” She paused, looking at the ground. “I didn’t even say goodbye to my dad or Yang before I left. I just left a note.” She forced a small smile. “He’ll probably ground me when he sees me again….”

“Guess that’s something we have in common.” Oscar commented. “I didn’t say goodbye to my Aunt. I left a note in the house and just left in the morning before she woke up. And I never had a scroll so she couldn’t reach me even when I was still in Mistral…..”

“Well,” Ruby started laying a hand on his shoulder, quickly trying to cheer him up, “when we get Amity Tower up, you can call her. You might get an earful like I will when I call my dad. We could even call them together!”

“Yeah.” Oscar finally looked up at her, nodding. “Don’t know how i’m going to explain all of _this_ though.” He breathed out a laugh. 

“I’m sure you’ll figure out something.” She folded her hands in front of her. “So, you come out here sometimes, this place must be huge! How do you not get lost? I wasn’t even sure where to start looking when I first got in here.”

“I’ve had plenty of time to explore. But, there’s also a window in the library that overlooks most of it.” He pointed up behind her. “So that helped a bit.”

“Wow.” Ruby breathed, twisting her head to see. She turned back. “We’ll have to bring the others here sometime. I bet Ren would love it too! You could even be our tour guide.”

“Maybe….” Oscar replied. “If there’s ever time….”

“Welllll we could always play hooky for a day with training.” Ruby playfully rolled her eyes. “Or have it out here, but not really sure if there’s any good spots, unless you know of any.” She looked at him, tilting her head. 

Oscar lowered his head, pondering, his lips pursed. His eyes glanced up at her, flicking back and forth to the ground. “I do know _one_ special spot here. But, I don’t think it’s exactly what you’re looking for.”

“Show me!!” Ruby grabbed his shoulders, excitement in her eyes.

“O-okay. Follow me.” Oscar turned, jogging down the path. Ruby took off following close behind him. 

They ran along the stone path, passing other flower bushes and vines. Traversing through forks in the path, the ground under their feet slowly turning from stone to grass and dirt. Deeper and deeper into the gardens, until they finally stopped in front of the entrance to what was no doubt a hedge maze. Ruby stared up in wonder at it. The hedges reaching up far above their heads. 

“H-here…” Suddenly Oscar’s hand grabbed hers. She blinked, looking back down. Oscar was trying to hide the dusting of red on his cheeks, smiling. “I don’t want you to get lost.” She responded by giving a light squeeze, affirming the grip, and for him to lead the way. He whisked them away into the maze, pulling Ruby behind him, picking up speed again again as they twisted and turned around corner after corner. Ruby couldn’t tell at all where they were going, but Oscar certainly did, not hesitating at any fork or turn. The slight chill in the air, breezed past them as they ran. The excitement growing in Ruby’s chest the further they went. What was hidden in this maze that Oscar knew about? 

Finally they slowed, the end of the path opening up. “Okay, we’re here.” Oscar announced. He glanced back at her, watching her. Their hands were still connected as Ruby stepped forward taking in the sight before her. She gave a low gasp. 

The path opened up to a medium-sized clearing. Four different openings surrounded it, leading back into the maze. Small flower bushes lined along the edges. There in the middle stood a huge, beautiful fountain, spewing water that shimmered in the sunlight, like diamonds. 

“It’s beautiful…” She breathed out, stepping into the clearing, Oscar letting go of hand, watching her still. “How did you ever find this?”

“Just wandered around.” Oscar answered, walking up to join her. “Getting lost proved to be a bit lucky for once. Took a while to memorize the path. But like I said…..i’ve had plenty of time.”

Ruby walked over, standing in front of the fountain. “You’re always full of surprises, Oscar.” She swiveled to look at him over her shoulder, smiling with her teeth. “Good ones of course!”

Oscar blinked, staring at her, feeling the slightest flutter in his chest at the compliment. But also the way that the sunset streamed across the sky at them, through the fountain water making it glisten, Ruby’s red, like the sunrises he remembered, meshing perfectly with the sunset’s colors. It was almost like she was glowing, and the way she smiled at him like that…..the pit in his stomach was ghosting it’s way back. 

He almost missed it when Ruby moved away. He blinked again, as she was walking around the fountain. Following her, he rounded the edge to see her sitting on the edge of the fountain, looking off into the distance. Silently, he lowered himself to sit beside her. He smiled to himself for a moment. This was almost like….

“You know, this is just like back in Mistral.” 

He snapped his head up, looking at her. “Huh?”

She turned her head to look at him. “Back in Mistral. We used to watch the sunrise every morning.” She shrugged her shoulders. “It’s not exactly the sunrise, but….” 

“You….remember that?” He tilted his head at her, eyebrows creased. 

“Oh course I do.” She said, scooting closer. “How could I not? We did it every day. I really liked doing it.”

Oscar folded his hands in his lap, head burrowing down into his shoulders, trying to hide his smile. “I did too.” 

“I know we don’t really get to see each other in the morning anymore,” Ruby started, burrowing her own head down slightly, “and it’s really not a sunrise, but….” She scooted another inch closer. “Maybe we could do this from now on whenever I get back.” 

Oscar let out a breath, smiling. “Yeah, i’d like that.” 

Ruby smiled, watching him. Maybe Oscar was just homesick and needed things to help him feel back at home. 

Oscar smiled internally. It wasn’t exactly like in Mistral, but being able to get this kind of time back with Ruby warmed his chest. Hopefully it would last and they _would_ be able to do this every day. But how long until one day, she’s called away at this time? For now he would just enjoy this time while he had it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This turned out WAY longer than initially planned (curse my desire for good setup ~). The Rosegarden moments for this chapter I wrote to be able to be read as platonic or romantic just for the neutral ground. I wanted them to be still just tooth-decaying sweet and adorkable~
> 
> Who's next to spend time with Oscar? (this is open for suggestion as we have the whole group)
> 
> Comments and feedback are welcome as always, hope you enjoyed!


	3. Among the Pages (Blake's Time)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blake runs into Oscar, giving her the chance to spend some time with him. A trip to the Academy's library may hopefully lend more than just a few stories for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for your patience on this chapter! It was a rough couple of weeks for school and other personal things, as well as this chapter ending up MUCH MUCH longer than intended. 
> 
> But nonetheless, enjoy!~

Though it was a time of tense work and borderline war, Blake had never felt more free and relaxed in her life. The past few weeks, weights on her shoulders had been lifted and left behind in a way she didn’t even think possible. While the weight of saving the world remained, it seemed like nothing compared to what had been there before. It had been all because of her friends, her family. Though, with Weiss’ scolding, she should give herself credit too. She’s done things she never thought she would, or thought possible. 

Blinking, Blake opened her eyes, turning her head over on her pillow, inhaling a deep breath through her nose. Early evening sunset was streaming through the window, setting the room in a warm, low light. Pushing herself up, she stretched her arms and back, yawning. She didn’t quite remember laying down to take a nap, but obviously she must have. She looked down at her lap, noticing something that had fallen off her when she sat up; Yang’s jacket. Her ears perked up, her face flushing, quickly trying to hide it even though she was alone in the room. Her own jacket hung on one of the desk chairs. Past the jacket, on the desk, her ears twitching at noticing it, sat a note, folded up. Grabbing Yang’s jacket and standing up, she crossed over to the desk, picking up the note, opening it. 

_ Ruby, Weiss, and I are heading into the city for some off-time. You seemed beat and we didn’t want to disturb you, so we figured we’d let you sleep. Don’t know how long we’ll be, but we’ll be sure to bring you back some dinner from wherever we go. If you wake up before we get back, shoot me a message! Hope you have a good nap! _

_ ~Yang~ _

Blake smiled at the note, letting out a huff of laughter, looking down at the jacket in her arms. Folding it neatly, setting it on the desk, she pulled on her own jacket, fishing out her scroll from the pocket, opening to Yang’s contact. 

_ B: Was leaving me your jacket really necessary? *smirk emoji* _

She waited a few moments, moving to the mirror to briefly brush through the small mussing of her hair from where she’d slept. Her scroll vibrated, a reply from Yang. 

_ Y: Well….you looked cold! You’d taken your own jacket off and fell right asleep!  _

Blake smiled. She could hear the fluster in Yang words, kind of just like at the first mission to Amity’s launch site. 

_ B: A blanket from one of the other beds would have worked just as well, or you know….my own bed under me. _

The response was quick. 

_ Y: I didn’t want to wake you up by trying to move you under it-I don’t know! I didn’t think of it at the time!  _

Blake giggled. She could just see Yang’s face as red as her semblance-activated eyes, and no doubt Ruby and Weiss teasing her at her sides. 

_ B: Okay, okay, i’ll let you off the hook on this one. If you all are still out could you bring back some Simple Wok noodles? Neon told me there was one near the academy.  _

_ Y: Will do! With extra tuna, see you in a bit!~ _

_ B: See you then~ _

Blake closed her scroll, placing it back in her pocket. If they were still in the city, it would be a little while before they got back, especially to stop and grab food for all of them. That meant she had some time to kill. It’d been awhile since she had this kind of free time, much less the time to take a catnap; as no doubt Yang would have put it. She opened the door to the hallway, stepping out. Suddenly she had the desire to go to the academy’s library. Along with the few free time, she hadn’t gotten to check it out in depth. A good, deep book was calling out for her, begging for her attention again. 

Locking the door behind her, she turned on her heel to leave, only instead, knocking into something. It made a noise of surprise, followed by a couple of soft thuds. Blake blinked, looking down; brown, mussy hair and green coat fidgeted below her.

“Oh,” Her ears raised, “Sorry, Oscar. I didn’t see you.”

“It’s okay.” He brushed himself off. “I kind of wasn’t paying attention either.” He bent down to the floor, Blake followed him with her eyes. A handful of books littered the floor around them. She tilted her head, crouching down to help him. 

“A little light reading?” She picked up one of the books, looking over the cover.

“Uh-yeah,” Oscar hid his face in his bangs, scrambling to pick up the other ones, “i’ve had some free time so….yeah. I was just on my way to return these to the library. The librarian is really nice, and she let me borrow more than the library is supposed to limit.” Blake could see the smile and dusting of red across his cheeks. 

Blake picked up another book, holding them close to her chest. “I was actually on my way to the library too. Everyone else went into the city after our missions, it’ll be a little bit before they get back.”

Oscar had the rest of the books back in his arms. She tilted her head at him, ears twitching. “If you don’t mind, can I join you?” She asked, smiling at him. “I haven’t really been there before, and you look like you could use a little help carrying these.” 

His face lit up, his eyes growing big like they usually did when he was happy like this, almost like a puppy; she honestly found it quite adorable. “Yeah, of course!”

Standing up, they started down the halls, Oscar leading the way. Blake glanced over the books in her arms as they walked. A book on the history of Atlas, one on the other kingdoms, one about Vale. She stole a glance over at Oscar, trying to peek at the ones in his arms. She could just make out one about Mistral, another with the word “War” on its spine just under it. 

“So….,” She started, holding up one of the books in her arms to flip it open with one hand, skimming the pages inside, “what kind of stuff have you been reading? Some history?”

“Yeah,” he answered, shifting the stack in his arms, “most of them are history books. Stuff about the kingdoms, their leaders, even some theoretical stuff.”

“You have an interest in that stuff?” Blake snickered to herself. “Dr. Oobleck would love you.”

She caught the flinch in Oscar’s face, his brow furrowing for a moment. “He was a teacher at Beacon wasn’t he?”

“Yeah,” she nodded, “he was our history professor. A very….. _ eccentric _ one.”

Oscar gave a noise of understanding, nodding, looking back down at the books. “There’s a lot of things I didn’t expect reading all of these. It’s pretty enjoyable to learn this stuff, but also a little hard.”

“History can be like that.” Blake nodded. “Can’t tell you the number of times in Oobleck’s class it was hard to hear about some events, he took those times really seriously.” She looked back down at him. “What made you want to read all of these?”

Oscar hesitated. She could tell in the way his lips parted, but closed again, pressing them together for a moment. “It wasn’t really my idea.” They stopped, Blake tilting her head at Oscar in question. He ran a thumb against the cover of the top book. “General Ironwood thought it would be a good idea for me to look into stuff like this.”

“Well, he is the headmaster of Atlas.” Blake shrugged her shoulders, trying to crack a smile, but the tone from Oscar right now gave her a low feeling. “So he’s technically a professor. Knowing this kind of stuff can be important in becoming a huntsman.”

“He’s hoping if I look into stuff like this,” Oscar tilted the top book, looking down at the cover, “maybe it’ll jog some memories from…..Ozpin.” He placed it back down, shifting his grip to hold them tighter against his chest, taking a step to start them moving again. “I told him about one of the first times I talked to Ozpin when he….appeared. He asked me to describe Lionheart’s office…..and I could. Later when I looked at my Aunt’s books on Mistral, other things were familiar to me, without me even having been to Mistral.” 

“Oh….” Blake furrowed her brow in concern. “I see.  _ Has _ it helped any?”

“No….” Oscar shook his head. “I don’t feel anything like that while reading about all this stuff……” 

“Have you told the General about that yet?” Blake asked, watching Oscar carefully. 

Oscar sighed. “No. I don’t really want to disappoint him. He’s trying all this different stuff, but none of it works. But he’s had more ideas than me….”

Blake shifted the books, reaching over to place a hand on Oscar’s shoulder. “It’s okay. You’re trying just as hard as he is. I’m sure he knows that.”

Oscar took a deep breath, “Yeah, you’re right. At the very least, I like reading, so even if it’s not what was hoped for, I am still enjoying it. I’m learning a lot.”

“That’s good.” She smiled at him, her ears twitching up for a moment. “I know you do.”

Finally they stopped, the large doors to the library looming in front of them. Unfortunately, though, a sign hung across the doorknobs of  _ “Sorry, we are closed” _ . Blake frowned, tightening her grip on the books for a moment, stealing a glance over at the nearby window, the late sun streaking through a deep orange. “I guess open hours for the library are over…..doesn’t it seem a bit early though?”

Oscar stepped forward, moving his books into one arm, the other fishing into the pouch on his belt. “Usually they close early the day before the weekend. And there aren’t student workers for the late hours today, so no one to keep it open after the librarian leaves for the day.” 

“Is there any way for us to drop these off?” Blake shrugged her shoulders, lifting an eyebrow. 

“Oh, don’t worry about that.” Oscar glanced over his shoulder at her, his hand coming out the pouch, now holding a small card. Turning back he laid the card over the scanner beside the door. After a few seconds the screen turned green and a click sounding from the doors. Oscar placed the card back in his pouch, stepping over to grab the handle, opening the door. 

Blake tilted her head in a mix of confusion and surprise, watching him. He paused, twisting back to her, nodding towards inside the room, a small smile. “Come on.”

“How did you…?” Blake started, slowly following him. 

He gave an awkward smile, hugging the books to his chest. “Being Ozpin’s reincarnation gives  _ some _ perks.” They stopped at the front desk, setting the books on it. Oscar rubbed the back of his hair. “The General gave me master access to pretty much….everything in the school. But also the librarian was nice and gave me a keycard since I was coming here so often, usually late, and checking out a lot of books. She doesn’t exactly know about who I am. So….I can come in here whenever.”

“That is pretty handy.” Blake placed a hand on her hip, looking around at the library. The shelves reached all the way to the ceiling, the stacks reaching far across in every direction. In the center atrium just behind the desk a skylight let in the evening light, illuminating it, the light just stretching into the other areas, lighting the room just enough for them to see. 

“Yeah.” Oscar answered, drifting around the desk towards the center, Blake following behind him, turning round as she walked, taking in more the room. Her heels clicked softly against the glassy, tile floor. It almost seemed to shimmer underneath their feet in the sunlight. 

“Wow…” she breathed out as they stopped under the skylight. 

“Have you never been here?” Oscar asked, watching her. 

“I’ve only been a few times, briefly.” She answered. “Haven’t been able to really look around before. Much less at this time of day.”

“I honestly like coming here around this time.” Oscar ran a hand through his hair again, leading them off to the side, down the corridor. “It’s quiet. Not like it’s loud when it’s open but-well you know-”

“I understand.” Blake giggled. “It’s a different feeling when there’s no one else. Just you and all these books.”

“Yep.” Oscar breathed out an awkward laugh, folding his hands in front of him. “Just me and the books….” 

“So, Mister Pagemaster,” Blake smirked down at him, “what kind of book are you thinking of getting?”

“Uh-I don’t know…” Oscar scratched at his forehead. “I just finished some stuff about The Great War, so I thought about looking into some books about art. What about you?”

“Hmmm…” Blake folded her arms, her finger touching her chin. “Possibly a new romance novel, though with our talk on the way here, I almost feel like looking for a historical piece.”

“Romance seems to be your favorite.” Oscar commented. 

“Maybe a bit.” Blake felt an innocent blush dust her cheeks. “It’s just been awhile for having time to relax with a nice, simple story. What about you?” She turned her head to him. 

“I always liked adventure books.” Oscar said. “But that was before I got to leave….and go on my own…..guess i’m not really too sure.” He stopped, rubbing the back of his hair again. “I’ve been mainly sticking to the non-fiction stuff, so it’s been awhile for me too.”

“Then how about this,” Blake unfolded her arms, “since you know this place the best, why don’t we go to the fiction section and we can each pick out a book for one another? Give yourself a break from real stuff.”

“Yeah!” Oscar’s face lifted, smiling. “That sounds fun!”

“Lead the way then.” Blake gestured curtly in a playful bow. 

~  ~

A lot of things had changed since he’d been paired with Ozpin. His everyday life, his future, even his past with having distant memories that technically weren’t even  _ his  _ to remember. He found he had tendencies now that he didn’t before; like holding onto Long Memory when he was nervous or the way he stood with it. Several times back in Mistral, he’d reached up to his face searching for a pair of glasses to take off before remembering he wasn’t wearing any, and never did; at least not  _ him  _ him. At least when little things like that happened, Ozpin had profusely apologized. 

The changes scared him. They had ever since Ozpin had appeared. Over time, it became easier to live with them, accept them, whether he wanted to or not. He couldn’t stop them, so better to just make do. Maybe what scared him was that everything that was changing, actually felt natural. It felt like himself, but at the same time he was aware that some of these things weren’t from himself. 

One thing that stayed was his love of reading. There wasn’t a time growing up that he didn’t have a book close by somewhere to bury his head in. After moving in with his Aunt, he didn’t have much stuff, not like that mattered to him. Living out in the country meant they weren’t close to any towns or the main kingdom; it was at least an hour to travel to the nearest one. While he brought one or two of his own, Oscar had ended up tearing through every book on his Aunt’s shelf in just a week or two. He settled on just having to re-read them and his own, but was pleasantly surprised when his Aunt presented the nicely wrapped package to him; a “form of payment for working so hard”, with a wink and smile. Inside had been a pair of new, but obviously used, books. Their covers and spines a little frayed at the edges and corners. 

_ “Hopefully that’ll tie you over until we go to town at the end of the month.” _

So, every so often his Aunt would order a new book or two for him, and eventually even worked out a deal with the librarian in town to let him check out books for the month until they would come again to sell produce at the market. He usually stayed there the entire day while his Aunt ran their stand; she gave up on trying to drag him out after a while, as long as he promised to at least read something educational, make the time worth something. 

Maybe that was why he liked being in Atlas Academy’s library so much. Just like back then, he gained a reputation and sort of friendship with the librarian, and then special privileges. In a way, it felt like home again, like something hadn’t changed. But that didn’t stop the pang in his chest, freezing while browsing through the shelves on day, suddenly thinking about how he may have had books he didn’t return to the library in town before he left; did the librarian there wonder what happened to him? Would they have asked his Aunt? What would his Aunt have said? He imagined her having to take the books back herself, not being able to give anyone an answer. All those books he left behind, all the ones she’d gotten for him, just sitting in her house, reminding her of him asking where he’d gone and why. Before he knew it, there were wet spots on the page of the book he’d taken off the shelf to look at. He ended up leaving the library early, without a word. 

He’d taken to spending the rest of the day in the dorm, the sudden intruding thoughts turning the day on its head. Rather than mope in his bunk, he tried to at least get something more productive out of the day. At least he still had the basic textbooks issued to him by Winter. Though his thoughts still drifted, not really able to get through even a paragraph, skimming the pages. Eventually he just settled on further studying maps of the world. Flipping the pages, most covered in notes and other markings drawn on by him, he stopped once on Mistral, pausing, then with a huff, turning it too. He stopped on the next page: a map of Menagerie. It was blank, he hadn’t gotten to it yet, but it wasn’t the first time he’d looked at this map. Looking at the map made his thoughts stray to Blake.

Reading was one the first things that bonded him to Blake after they’d met. She was the one that took a little bit longer to get to know and talk to; for hesitancy on both sides. Blake was a quiet person, at least that’s how she came off. The most that he knew about her from Ozpin’s memories at the back of his mind was that Blake was someone who kept to herself a lot when she was at Beacon, but there was an easier more fun-going side underneath that. She just needed to be comfortable; which was followed by a small twinge of remorse from the old headmaster, for whatever reason he never said. 

The first time they actually talked besides introducing themselves was when she’d found him reading under the tree in the backyard one evening. Still recovering from the battle at Haven, he’d been softly banned from doing anything strenuous, mainly any training or physical activity with the others. So the only thing he found he could do was his old past-time and read. At the very least he could go outside for it, he wasn’t banned from simply walking anywhere. Blake had been just coming outside for some fresh air and didn’t notice him. She pulled her coat on as she opened the door of the training room, stepping out into the yard. It was just getting dark, the lights inside the training room illuminating it, gaining his attention. When she crossed the yard to lean on the railing, watching the city below, Oscar finally revealed himself, trying to make it as not awkward as possible. She’d heard him before he even said anything, her ears twitching as he stood up, but they both still jumped a little at the other. 

“Oh, Oscar, I didn’t realize you were out here.” She folded her hands in front of her.

“I was just reading a little,” he stepped away from the tree, more out in the open to her, only slightly wincing at the lingering soreness, “not like there’s much else I can do right now.”

“Are you okay?” She tilted her head at him in concern. Her shoulders were still rigid.

“Yeah,” he answered, smiling, “Like Ozpin said, no strenuous stuff and I should be fine in just a few days.” He rubbed a hand at one of his shoulders. “So….what are you doing out here?”

“Just needed some fresh air.” She answered, turning back towards the railing. “Everyone was getting a little excited inside about something.”

Oscar hummed in understanding, turning to join her in looking over the railing. He stopped when he glanced up at her face, tilting his head. He spoke before he even realized it. 

“Your bow is gone….”

She stiffened, hesitantly turning her head back towards him. “Y-yeah….it is…”

“Ah, sorry!” Oscar held up his hands, grimacing at himself. “It’s just. Ruby and Yang showed me an old picture of your guy’s team, as well as….well, you know…..” He pointed at his head. 

She seemed to relax, letting out a breath through her nose. “It’s been awhile since then. And I….didn’t really need it anymore.”

“I’m glad.” Her ears perked up at that, looking at him in questioning. He picked at the thread of his gloves. “I mean, I didn’t see that many Faunus where I lived. I’d only been really told about how things were with Faunus, but there were a few times I had to see it when my Aunt and I would go into town. I...never really understood it myself.” He huffed out a laugh. “I even got punched one time for confronting someone on it. My Aunt was  _ not _ happy about that.” He absently rubbed his cheek, thinking about the memory. 

In his story, Blake had turned to lean back against the railing, folding her arms. “Sometimes standing up for what’s right gets you that in this world….”

“Yeah,” he shrugged his shoulders, “but if we didn’t then who would?” He paused. “Sorry! If I’m weirding you out….I-uh-know we don’t really know each other-”

She cut him off with a warm laugh. “Don’t worry about it. I know you’ve spent more time with others, since I got here….a little late. So...why don’t we get to know each other now?”

“Okay.” Oscar nodded. Following her to sit on the ground. 

“So,” Oscar started, “where are you from?”

“Menagerie.” She answered. “The main town of Kuo Kuana. My  _ dad _ is actually the Chieftain. But I haven’t told the others that yet.” She lifted a finger to her lips, winking an eye at him. 

“Wow,” Oscar breathed out, “I actually haven’t heard that much about Menagerie. Not even the library in town near where I lived had much about it.”

“Not really surprising.” Blake rolled her eyes, smugly. “It’s not really that much paid attention to. We’re not even considered our own kingdom or even part of one. Just an island in the middle of the ocean. What about you?”

“I lived with my Aunt on her farm out in the countryside of Mistral. It was just the two of us, the nearest town being a bit away. We’d go there at least once a month to sell stuff from the farm at the local market there. Not really much else to it.” He hunched his shoulders, burrowing into them. 

“So you were a farmhand?” She stated more than questioned. “I guessed as much from your outfit. How long have you been here with everyone else?”

“Only a month.” Oscar answered, drawing circles in the dirt in front of him. “I was pretty resistant, but eventually Ozpin convinced me to leave and come here to find Ruby’s Uncle.”

Blake furrowed her brow, watching him, she opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by Oscar continuing. “So, what’s it like in Menagerie?”

“Well,” she blinked, “it’s pretty much a tropical island. But most of it’s uninhabitable because of the wildlife and terrain in the other parts. Filled with Faunus, obviously. The only way to get there is by ship actually, no ports for aircraft.” She shifted. “And that makes it even more unideal for people to travel there, as the ships usually have to deal with Grimm in the waters.”

“So, it’s not exactly the nicest kind of home.” Oscar tilted his head up at her. “But it still sounds really interesting.”

“Yeah,” Blake nodded, looking up towards the sky, “it’s image isn’t the greatest, but it is still home, and there’s still a lot of nice things within it.” She looked back down at him. “You should see the markets there. We get stuff from all over Remnant, especially stuff you can only get in Menagerie. There’s even areas of the markets and homes that are in the shallow gulfs of the water.”

“Whoa, really?” Oscar’s face lit up, leaning in. “For aquatic Faunus, right? That’s pretty cool!” He paused. “Wait, hang a second!” He pushed himself up, running back behind the tree. He returned with the book he’d been reading, opening it to page, pulling out a folded piece of paper. 

Blake watched him in intrigue. “What’s that?”

He unfolded the paper, revealing a map of Remnant, an old one by the look of it. Looking over it, Blake could see markings all over it, scribbled notes, and small doodles. He set it on top of the book on the ground, bringing out a pencil from his pocket. “It’s an old map from one of my Aunt’s atlases. She eventually got a new one, so the old one was just gathering dust. Figured I could use it when I left to at least have some idea of where I was going.” His fingers traced over the paper. “It kind of turned into something else.”

He held out the pencil to her, and turned the book and paper towards her. “Here! Just circle where Kuo Kuana is.”

Blake paused, looking over the map more closely. The markings were all familiar places; the areas circled were Patch, Vale, Atlas, a place called Kuroyuri, and a vague one around the whole continent of Anima. Each circle then had small drawings next to them: a rose and a flame by Patch and Vale, a snowflake by Atlas, a lotus flower and lightning bolt next to Kuroyuri, and a black bird with a question mark by the one around Anima. This was a map of all of them and where they were each from. She smiled softly at all the little notes and drawings, they were cute. 

“Here.” She circled the spot on the island, handing both back to Oscar. “Right there at the coast.The biggest and main port is there.” She watched him quickly take the pencil, adding her own symbol next to it, to her stifling laugh: a cat. “So, where on this map is your home?”

“Oh,” Oscar paused, before slowly pointing to a small circle near Mistral. “Right around here. It’s too big of a map and too small of a place to get it exactly.”

“Maybe you can take us there one day to really show us.” She smiled at him. “It sounds like a nice place too.”

“Maybe….” Oscar answered her with a somber, looking back down at the map. 

~  ~

Oscar grabbed his final pick from the shelf, stacking on top of the few already in his arms. He lifted his head at the approaching rumbling, one of the shelf ladders rolling down the aisle towards him, Blake perched towards the top, half of her body hanging off, books in one arm. He stepped back to let her roll in front of him, coming to a stop. He smiled up at her and she smiled back, her ears softly moving. 

“You’re pretty good on those.” 

She shrugged, glancing at the ceiling, “I may have had some practice at Beacon’s library. But also being used to flying around and keeping your balance helps.” She turned back onto the rungs, climbing down, and hopping onto the floor. “So,” she smirked at him, “did you find me anything good?”

Oscar laughed, “I think so. What about you?” He raised a playful eyebrow back at her. 

“I think I can say definitely.” She answered, straightening, hugging the stack to her chest. 

“Okay, how about this one?” Blake slid another book from her stack over to him on the table. “It’s a little long, but it’s a collection set of different stories.”

Oscar opened it, skimming along the pages. “That’s fine. I don’t really mind if something’s long. Just more time for it to keep my mind off other things.” He glanced up at her. “What about the one I picked out for you? Did I least pick something you  _ haven’t  _ read before?”

“Yeah,” Blake pulled her own book closer, flipping through its pages. “I haven’t read this before. And it sounds pretty interesting; a tale based around The Great War, back when there was still royalty.” 

“Do you think anyone of the royal families is still out there?” Oscar asked, still flipping through his own book. “It’s only been 80 years since the end of the war. Someone’s grandma could technically be royalty without knowing it.”

“My mom told me once about how apparently in the years after The Great War after monarchies were dismantled there was always a surplus of people claiming to be of royal families to try and still save a wealthy and secure life for themselves.” Blake said. “Children all around the world dreamed of one day finding out they were a prince or princess. At least that’s what grandma told her.”

“Was there ever any cases where it turned out to be true?” Oscar propped his cheek in his hand. 

Blake shrugged. “I don’t know. Not any that i’ve seen. The kingdoms probably didn’t pay attention to doing something like that since they dismantled the monarchy, it didn’t really matter anymore. Either that or it did happen, but never actually recorded. Those old families rose into high class, and once you’re there, no one questions it.”

“Wait,” Oscar started, raising an eyebrow toward her, straightening up in his chair, “Menagerie technically isn’t a part of the governing kingdoms right?”

“Pretty much,” Blake answered, “Menagerie maintained contact and companionship with the other kingdoms, but we were never really included in everything. We just had our own thing going.”

“And…..your dad is the leader?”

“Chieftain.” Blake said, resting her chin on her hands. “My dad pretty much runs things on Menagerie in Kuo Kuana.”

“I’ve kind of been wondering for a while….does that technically make  _ you _ a princess then?” Oscar pointed a finger at her. 

“What?!” Blake flinched back, her cheeks becoming red. “A princess?”

“Well, you know,” Oscar stammered, “Menagerie is its own thing like you said, and a Chieftain could technically also be known as a king and that kind of leadership runs through family-”

“My dad was just appointed Chieftain after he stepped down from leading the White Fang.” Blake cut in. “It’s not really a family thing.” She hugged her arms across her chest, fidgeting with a piece of her hair. 

“Okay, sorry.” Oscar held up his hands, laughing. “It was just a thought.” He folded them in his lap, looking down. “But I think you’d still be a pretty cool princess.” 

Blake’s ears twitched, looking across at him, catching his own cheeks reddening, but trying to hide them by looking away. She bit the inside of her lip, smiling. She’d never actually asked her dad how that worked, so maybe Oscar was right. Her, a princess. It made her think of how ironic it would be with herself and Weiss. But also, just the recognition from someone of that high. Oscar and her hadn’t spent much time together at first, just awkwardly avoiding and small talk with each other; at least until the night out in the yard. He was always so nice, even being as shy as he was sometimes. But the times he came out of his shell she enjoyed it. He did things you wouldn’t expect unless you actually knew him. 

But it went much deeper to her than that at this moment. All her life being a Faunus meant that’s all people saw of her. Like how people only saw Weiss as a Schnee. But something like that hadn’t made Oscar flinch or hesitate. And now after learning who her family is, he’s thinking of her as a princess; someone seen as dignified, beautiful, special. An innocent thought that actually made her heart flutter like she was a little girl again, having the spotlight on her at some gathering in Menagerie for the White Fang. 

Oscar was a good kid. A total sweetheart, like Ruby an emanation of purity, but also something different she couldn’t quite put her finger on yet. He was always worrying about everyone else being okay, and trying to help wherever he could. The memory of Brunswick Farms passed in her mind; as they drove away from the burning home, the Apathys had let out one more scream, to everyone else it was only a brushing effect, but to her and having two sets of ears, one very acute, it was still agonizing even from the distance they were. Immediately a pair of hands were gently covering her cat ears; Oscar. He’d stayed beside her, making sure she was okay, before moving to the edge of the trailer as Qrow became more lucid again. That was also something at the back of her head she wanted to question about; but for another time.

She perked her eyes back up, at Oscar being particularly silent for the last couple of minutes. His book was still open, fingers gripping the edge of the page, thumb rubbing against it. Her eyes followed his gaze down to the page, stopping at the title. Her blood ran cold for a moment.

_ The Man with Two Souls _

“Oscar?” She slowly asked, watching him. He pressed his lips together, letting go of the page. “I’m sorry, Oscar,” Blake started, leaning closer, “I didn’t realize that story was in there.”

“No, it’s okay.” He held up a hand, but not looking at her, his gaze still on the page. “I’ve already read this story. The librarian gave me a copy in a bunch of books she recommended once.”

“Oh…” Blake leaned back in her seat. “But…..are you okay?”

He took a deep breath, staying silent for a moment. “Yeah, i’ll be fine.” He shut the book, pushing it away. “But….can I ask you something, Blake?”

Blake stood up, crossing to be closer to Oscar, sitting down in another chair beside his. “Of course, anything.”

“With everything we know now,” he looked up into the distance, hands fidgeting together, “do you ever think about the fairy tales you read? Like if they’re true just like some of the others, like the story of the seasons?”

“Well,” Blake started, “a few times, but really know. I hadn’t really thought about it. Do you?”

“It just feels weird now.” Oscar confessed, resting his hands back on the table. “I used to love them so much, but ever since everything we found out, every time I look at one, I can’t help but feel weird. How many of these stories could actually be about m-about Ozpin?”

“Oscar….”

“In that story, the one about the man with two souls,” he continued, “it’s a very old one. The author based it on her brother.” He folded his hands together, trying to keep them still. “He was normal for all their life, until one day he suddenly became distant, talking to himself. She never knew what was wrong with him. A biography in the copy of the book, she talks about how he even drew pictures of a woman….”

“A woman….?” Blake echoed, though she already felt like she knew the answer. 

“I found some copies in another book about her, and the old copy of the story.” She watched as his hands were trembling, still held together on the table. “They looked just like Salem….and the more I looked, it wasn’t just in that fairy tale, there were others….”

“Oscar…” Blake rested a hand on his shoulder. “You could have come to one of us if this bothered you that much. When did this happen?”

“It was a while ago.” Oscar shook his head. “And it’s not like there’s anything I can do about it.”

“That’s why you’ve only been reading all that other stuff.” Blake said more than questioned. “If you didn’t want to go into this stuff again, you didn’t have to. You could've said something.”

“I wanted to try.” Oscar sighed, his hands dropping back into his lap. 

“Well,” Blake gave his shoulder a squeeze, “I’m glad that you told me now.” 

“Sorry if I ruined this.”

Blake shook her head. “There’s nothing to be sorry about. It’s okay. I still had fun. But Oscar,” she moved out of her chair to crouch beside him, “if there is anything bothering you at all, you can always tell any of us. It doesn’t matter what it is. We’ll listen.”

Oscar sat there for a few moments, eyes flickering back and forth from his lap to in front of him. The emotions were building up in his chest again. But he didn’t want to start crying now in front of Blake, but at the same time he did. She was telling him right now he could tell them anything, say what was wrong. It would be so easy to just say he missed everyone, but even right now he couldn’t get the words out. At the very least, Blake had a comforting presence. It bordered between feeling like an older sister and motherly to him. She was always relaxing to be around, but also fun when they wanted to have it. The times they shared tea together at any point in the day, sometimes joined by Ren, were nice. The one time when they were still getting to know one another, she let him touch her ears. At Brunswick Farms, she made sure he had a blanket and was okay for the night before they went to sleep. When Oscar returned to the Cotta-Arc’s house, she’d taken him aside for a moment and asked if he was okay; he hadn’t fully understood the look in her eyes at that time, but later did when she returned to the airship with Yang, shaken, auraless, and weapon broken from a fight with Adam.

They each got to connect with one another in their own way, slowly, but surely. In the silent moments, Oscar inched his hand closer over towards Blake. Thankfully, she did notice, slipping her free hand into it. He swallowed, looking over at her.

“Do you think Ozpin will ever come back?” He paused, looking down at the ground. “Does anyone even want him to?”

She blinked at him, her ears drooping slightly, her thumb beginning to rub against his hand. “I…..can’t speak for everyone…..but I hope he does, honestly.” She moved her hand from his shoulder to place overtop the hand she was holding. “We still need him, both of you. But also, I can sort of understand where he’s coming from and what happened. And I think everyone else is too with what we’re doing now in Atlas; with the General and everything else.”

“Are you still angry with him?” Oscar still didn’t look at her. 

She hesitated, pressing her lips together. “I….had people lie to me in the past. Lies and facades that caused a lot of bad things. But I know he isn’t in any way the same as those people. He didn’t intend to hurt anyone by keeping secrets and lying, but he did. I….” She took a deep breath, squeezing Oscar’s hand, “....hope that he finds the strength to face everything, even if any of the others are still mad.” She leaned closer. “You know him better than any of us. Do you believe he can?”

Oscar finally turned his head, looking at her. His lips parted and closed again before responding. “I do. I want to believe in everyone. Even him.”

Blake smiled, nodding. “Then I will too.” She reached up to wipe her thumb under Oscar’s eye as water had begun to well up in them. “You know,” she stood up, letting go of his hand, “did I ever tell you about the personification game?”

“Personification game?” Oscar tilted his head at her. 

“You describe someone with one word.” She explained. “A word that they embody as themselves. Ruby is ‘purity’, Weiss is ‘defiance’, and ‘Yang’ is strength. You…” she reached up resting a hand on top of his head, “I see you as 'bravery’.''

He blinked at her surprised at first, but then it grew into a smile, with the little hint of blush returning. 

A buzz from Blake’s pocket made them jump. She brought it out, opening the message. “Oh, it’s Yang, they’re all back! You wanna join us for dinner tonight? I’ll share some of my noodles.”

“Really? Yeah!”

“Trust me, it’s a huge bowl, i’ll probably need help.” Oscar hopped up from the chair, the two starting to head back towards the entrance. 

“Hang on a second!” Oscar stopped, running back to the table, grabbing the thick book she’d picked out for him. 

“Are you sure?” Blake asked. 

“I am.” Oscar nodded. “I want to try again.”

“Okay, then.” Blake nodded. “Then how about the next time you finish a story, you come and tell me all about it.” She held up her own book, the one Oscar had picked for her. “And I’ll tell you all about mine.”

“Yeah!” Oscar replied. “That sounds fun.”

Blake hugged the book to her chest, walking alongside Oscar. Maybe Oscar is very worried about Ozpin and what happened to him and thinks he needs to make up for it. He may just need something to take his mind off of it, and relax. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This really did end up so much longer than I thought (a whole 17 pages)! I didn't think it would be this long with not having really any Oscar and Blake interactions in-show to go off of. But I hope you enjoyed! All of the other chapters have been planned out and outlined (there are chapters that have specific order purposes), so next in the lineup is.........
> 
> ....................Weiss~
> 
> Comments and feedback are always welcome!


	4. Under the Ice (Weiss’ Time)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a day of training, Weiss and Oscar catch up with each other, prompting Weiss with an idea for the two of them. Oscar means something special to her, so just for him something special.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I once again appreciate the patience for this chapter! As you all know the world has been crazy, adjusting to my classes being put all online (as an art major and big focusing problems) has been very challenging to balance it with writing for this. Once again the chapter ended up longer than expected.~
> 
> Enjoy!

Atlas was home. Atlas was a prison. Home. Prison. Home. Prison. A loved cage. The viewpoint and interpretation changed day to day, hour to hour they spent there. Other than Beacon, there wasn’t any other place Weiss had known before than the shining, splendid kingdom of Atlas. High in the sky, a fantasy world in the clouds, a place many dreamed of being in. Others she heard, in the other kingdoms or down in Mantle, whispering to their children that those in Atlas could touch the stars and moon; that’s why they were so special and mighty. Those in Atlas would reach down and raise the rest of the world to better heights and discoveries. 

To her, they weren’t special. They were selfish, arrogant, disconnected. And for a long time, she was one of them. Those in Atlas weren’t reaching down ever. All they did was stand above and sneer at those below them. They didn’t want to share what they had. Why raise anyone up to you when you could just keep it all for yourself and stay at the top? When Beacon fell they didn’t care about those that were there. They only cared about themselves, their reputations, if it was affecting _their_ lives. Those that fought, those that lost things, those that lost their _lives_ didn’t matter to them. They had the gall to laugh at them. But at the same time, it was her home; where she grew up. And she couldn’t judge everyone in Atlas, there were good people still.

Like Winter. 

Like Klein. 

If only she could see Klein. He’d done everything and anything for her, always there for her, practically raised her. To at least tell him “thank you”. But, that would mean she’d have to go back to the Schnee Manor, the possibility of having to see her father again. She’d barely been able to keep it together at the launch site, and thankfully Ruby, Blake, Yang, and General Ironwood had been there. Despite being unsure about his plans and if they could fully trust him, her heart rested easy knowing he was there to stand up to her father for her, and for Winter; just like at the party. He had a good heart….but would that be enough?

But, she had her team, her friends, her new family. To think that the people she couldn’t stand to be around when she first got to Beacon, she couldn’t bear to be without now. People who actually loved and cared for her, more than anyone else before; well, except for Klein and Winter of course, but that was beside the point. The time away from them was one of the worst times of her life, but she got them back and she was never going to let herself be taken away from them again, nor would they. 

Going back to Atlas left a pit in her gut the entire time; terrified, uncertain. Seeing the state of Mantle left her shaken. But seeing Winter, staying at the Academy and with everyone brushed away those chills. 

Now, a new routine had been set in place. Like Penny said, it was almost just like Beacon again. The dorms, up early in the morning, training together, going on missions together. Ruby,as usual, was always the first one up, energized as usual, and always to come down from her bunk and wake her up next. Blake always got Yang up, the last one of the four. They’d convene with JNR and head to the morning meeting to pick jobs, eat a quick breakfast, and then head out to whatever it is they decided to do. Every other day or so they’d all train, with other students from Atlas, each other, or the Ace-Ops. She mainly spent her training time with Winter. She hadn’t been able to for so long, she wanted as much time with her sister as she could, and wanted to show Winter all she had learned and improved. 

Today was no different. Once again she was training with Winter. This time though, Winter insisted on glyph practice, and glyphs only; no dust, no summoning, just her glyphs and an unloaded Myrtenaster. 

“My summoning is technically a glyph, though.” Weiss placed a hand on her hip, cocking her head at Winter. 

“Yes,” Winter answered, preparing her own sword, “but summoning is calling an ally to your side. This session today is about only you and your basic tools. That means only your weapon and base of your semblance.” She stabbed her sword into the ground. “When you're out in the field, no dust and little aura, you must be able to fight with only those things. 

Winter cocked her head back at her, mirroring the hand on her hip. “You also can’t rely on your summon for everything. I want to see what you can do without it. So,” she picked up her sword again, “back to basics.”

“Fine.” Weiss rolled her eyes, grabbing Myrtenaster from Winter handing it back to her, emptied of all its dust.

“This will be good for you. For both of us.” Winter smiled at her. “Now, take ready position.”

They stood face to face, just feet apart, swords crossed in between them. Winter stood with one hand behind her back, heels close together, stoic and still. Weiss stood, her hand out and ready beside her, feet apart. Their swords stayed still just touching, but unflinching. 

They both moved. Winter, just a bit faster, but using a glyph right off the bat, to lunge forward, swinging at Weiss. Weiss swiped at the strikes, stepping and flipping backwards in time with them. A million possibilities running through her mind; what action to take, what will Winter do next, what counter to use, remember you don’t have any dust. Parrying two more strikes, she finally activated a glyph of her own, using it to jump, flipping over another strike, flying far back to gain distance. 

Focus on your form. That’s all you have right now. How can you use your glyphs here? 

Winter came at her again, using her own glyphs to increase her speed. But the distance gained, let her have the extra second to react. Just like with the boarbatusk, long ago in Professor Port’s classroom, Weiss shielded with a glyph in front of her, stopping Winter’s attack in its tracks. The split second of Winter’s attack colliding with the glyph, let Weiss flip up and back onto another glyph, pushing herself off into a direct strike. 

But Winter wasn’t a young boarbatusk with an easily exposed underbelly.

She parried Weiss’ thrust of her sword, knocking Weiss over to the side, following up with a thrust of her own. Weiss quickly parried it, regaining her balance. They continued to trade blows with their swords, Winter once again on the offensive, making Weiss continue to move backwards; heading straight into a pillar behind her. She wanted to trap Weiss, keep her from distancing herself again. But Weiss was still clever; use your environment, one of the most important lessons Winter taught her. 

When she was just close enough, Weiss swiped Winter’s sword away hard, using the little room to flip back onto the wall, summoning a glyph onto its surface. Pushing off, Weiss spun, feeling Myrtenaster graze a few scratches on Winter’s arm as she flew past. Landing, now it was Weiss’ turn to be on the offensive, swinging Myrtenaster methodically and quickly, now pushing Winter back towards the wall. But that didn’t seem to bother Winter at all. Instead, she used Weiss’ own technique from before against her. 

Blocking Weiss’ strike with a glyph, Winter flipped back onto the pillar wall with a glyph, but instead of pushing off straight at her, Winter went up, throwing her small sword down at her. Weiss jumped back, avoiding it, the distraction giving Winter the perfect opening to land behind her and land a strike she couldn’t turn to block in time. Weiss stumbled back a step, quickly gaining control of her aura back as it flickered with the hit. Winter retrieved her small sword, rushing Weiss again. Weiss rapidly brought up a pair of glyphs between, pushing both of them back in opposite directions. Weiss steadied herself as she slid back, Winter stopping herself with her sword in the ground. 

Straightening herself, taking a deep breath, Weiss took her form, summoning a time dilation glyph. Just as she thought, Winter started to summon her own as well. She’d seen Winter use time dilation in the past, but she’d never faced her with it, much less with her own. And admittedly guilty, she hadn’t used her time dilation in a long while. There was no way her time dilation could beat Winter’s, she would have to be more clever in the action she took using it.

They both moved at the same time. Weiss summoned several glyphs, the first moving her abruptly to the side to try and flank Winter, jumping over her attempting to strike her. Winter simply blocked it, pivoting as Weiss landed, pushing off another glyph straight towards her. Winter moved smoothly, backflipping at just the right moment, kicking Weiss in the face, sending her stumbling back again. Regaining her balance, Weiss dodged out of the way of a swing from Winter. They continued to move around and cross each other off glyphs, trading blows. Weiss spared millisecond glances at her scroll on her wrist. Have to balance how much aura she’s using. Running out would mean forfeit and no doubt a nasty hit for Winter to get on her in the flurry of strikes they were throwing at each other as they danced around. 

They seemed to be on equal ground. While Winter was faster with her time dilation, Weiss was just a bit more creative with her paths; something she’d learned a bit about from fighting alongside Ruby. 

There. Just as Winter jumped, flipping up and back, Weiss stopped, pulling back Myrtenaster, two fingers pointed out. She had to be precise; summoning a glyph right around Winter’s foot as she reached maximum height and hung there for just barely a second. Her aim was perfect, the glyph bringing Winter to an abrupt stop, hanging her upside-down in the air. Putting a glyph under herself, Weiss launched herself up towards her, she could win right now with this one straight hit. 

She had almost reached her when Winter twisted, pointing her sword, and suddenly a glyph appeared around both of her wrists and one of her ankles, leaving her suspended in the air as well. But now with both hands trapped, she couldn’t summon any more glyphs, she was stuck. She tugged at the entrapments, trying to think quickly of what to do. Though she was hanging as well, Winter’s hands were free, and quickly she summoned another glyph right above Weiss right as the others vanished. The new glyph sent her flying straight to the ground, hard, on her chest. Mrytenaster flew out her hand on impact, her aura shattering, the air being knocked from her lungs, a loud cry escaping her. 

She laid there for a few moments, rolling to her side, trying to push herself up. Another moment later, hands were helping her sit up, handing her back her sword; Winter. 

“Very good.” She said, a hand resting on her shoulder. “You’ve certainly improved since Beacon. You even surprised me a few times there.”

“D-Did you have to throw me so hard?” Weiss groaned, a hand on her abdomen. 

She swore she heard a low chuckle from Winter. “Apologies, I suppose we got a little too into it. I commend you on your creativity. But it’s obvious you're out of practice with your time dilation.”

“Yeah,” Weiss bit her lip, guilty, “maybe a bit.”

“Next time we’ll work on that then.” Winter stood, offering a hand out to her. Weiss took it, slowly standing, dusting herself off. “Go take a break, we can practice again later.”

Weiss brushed her bangs back in place, securing Myrtenaster back to her side, heading towards the doors. She grimaced, rolling back a shoulder. She needed a shower after today’s training, and to hopefully keep everything from becoming unbearably sore tomorrow. Walking by, she looked over seeing another pair in the training room sparring; General Ironwood and Oscar. She slowed, watching them. 

Ironwood was using his fists, while Oscar had Ozpin’s cane; dodging and batting away punches. She felt a small smile growing on her face, watching them. Oscar was certainly doing better than many times before in training; a little quicker, more methodical, and more stamina. But he was certainly still an amateur. His attacks and forms weren’t fitting at all, still very much sloppy and uneffective. Her smile turned to a flinch and grimace when one of Ironwood’s punches connected, sending Oscar sprawling. She relaxed once again, letting out a breath when Oscar sat up, Ironwood reaching a hand down to help him up. Wait, why had she acted like she was worried? He was just training, and with Ironwood nonetheless; he would be sure Oscar is alright in training. Shaking her head, she left the training room, to the lockers to put away Myrtenaster. 

Weiss ran the brush slowly through her hair, grimacing at the tangles being pulled on that just wouldn’t come loose. All the jumping and flying around really did a number on her hair today. It hadn’t been this bad for a while. She glanced towards the door at the sound of soft footsteps, Ruby had left the door open when she and Blake ran out to do who knows what. She didn’t bother closing it, finding that she actually liked the openness it gave to the room, didn’t feel as cramped and stuffy. Outside the door was Oscar, a hand rubbing at his arm. His head turned at the open door, looking in, he and Weiss meeting each other’s gazes. 

“Oh, hey, Weiss.” He gave a small wave. 

“Hi, Oscar.” She lowered the brush into her lap. “Did you just finish your training with Ironwood?”

“Yeah,” he leaned against the door frame, rubbing a shoulder, “he definitely did not go easy on me today.”

“Neither did Winter with me,” Weiss playfully rolled her eyes, “that’s the Atlas military for you.” 

“This honestly feels even tougher than the training Oz had us doing back in Mistral.” Oscar twirled a strand of hair by his ear. “I think I have more bruises than I do with a session with Qrow sometimes.”

“I’ve seen him and my sister go at it, and trust me when I say, he’s definitely Ruby and Yang’s teacher.” Weiss smirked, crossing her arms. “Qrow was a bit soft around you.”

“Probably not anymore…..” Oscar muttered under his breath, looking at the floor. 

Weiss tilted her head, raising an eyebrow, but Oscar said nothing more, just tapping the end of his foot off the floor. 

“Help me out with this.” She finally said. 

“Huh?” He raised his head, blinking. Weiss held the brush out, a firm look in her eyes. 

She sighed. “I can’t get these tangles out. You seemed to do a good job last time.” She smiled. 

Oscar blinked once again before smiling himself, stepping forward to take the brush and stand behind her. Weiss relaxed, leaning back into the chair as Oscar started brushing, being very gentle with the tangles, working through them. The two stayed in silence, Oscar contently running the brush through locks of hair, Weiss smiling in her seat, eyes closed. After a long day, nothing felt better than having your hair brushed, or even ran through, by someone. 

Winter used to do it for her…..when she still lived at the manor. All the time growing up, Winter would brush her hair for her; sometimes in the morning when they got ready, other times before bed, and almost always when Weiss had a concert. And Weiss sometimes brushed Winter’s hair in return. Winter kept her hair shorter than her, but that didn’t make it any less fun to brush and play with it. The rare times they had slumber parties in the other’s room, doing each other’s hair. One time Winter even snuck into their mother’s room, taking some makeup so they could give each other makeovers. It made her feel like an actual princess in the books, all beautiful and fair. 

But then Winter went to the academy. The night she told their father, he was furious. Klein took her to her room while the two of them fought in his study. That night, Winter did not come to her room, and she didn’t come in the morning either. Klein helped her brush her hair, knowing their routine, but it wasn’t the same. She didn’t even see Winter for a few days. Finally, Weiss braved going into her room. Winter barely acknowledged her, sat at the window, staring out of it with her arms crossed. She didn’t even ask what had happened. She just picked up her hairbrush, undid her hair, and brushed. She wouldn’t tell anyone, when a few tears finally made their way down Winter’s face. 

The next day, Weiss was made the heiress. Winter had forfeited the role, instead going to be a huntress. Winter had smiled and supported her at the announcement and party their father decided to throw a party to show her off to his sponsors and business partners. That night Winter brushed her hair for her again before bed, but the atmosphere in the room wasn’t the same. The next morning, Weiss got up on her own, and said goodbye to Winter leaving for the academy. Winter hugged her, and petted her hair warmly, then got on the airship. It wasn’t until Weiss saw Winter’s room did the truth truly show itself to her. Her room was completely empty, save for the bare furniture. Winter left. Winter left and she was not coming back. That night she refused Klein’s offer to brush her hair. 

She didn’t come back to stay. There were times that Winter did come back to see her. Especially when Weiss told her she wanted to be a huntress too. Winter started to train her, late nights on the manor grounds where their father wouldn’t bother to see. She was tough, intense, but she was only being real with Weiss. If she did want to leave too, she needed to be able to be just as strong as her, if not stronger. 

The night that Weiss got her scar, Winter came rushing. Klein had called her. She was furious, at her and their father, mostly their father. But once she’d calmed down, she spent the entire night in Weiss’ room with her, helping her change the bandage when the blood started to leak through…...and brushing her hair. She’d proven herself, she was strong enough to go and become a huntress. She kept the role of heiress, but she would also be a huntress. She made the promise to Winter that night that she would make the Schnee name better. Winter simply brushed the bangs over her scarred eye, smiling. 

“Weiss?”

Weiss blinked, sitting forward. “Huh?” She turned around. Oscar must have finished, the hairbrush placed back on the vanity. 

“You okay?” He asked, fidgeting with his hands. “You kind of spaced out there, and you started touching your face.”

Weiss blinked, noticing her hand was indeed near her face. Hovering over her left eye. “I’m fine.” She said, turning back around. “It’s nothing.”

“Does it bother you sometimes…?”

“What?” Weiss turned her head, Oscar now standing beside her, looking at her in concern. 

“Your scar. On your eye.” Oscar’s own hand hovered over his. “Does it bother you?” He fidgeted again where he stood. “I know it’s not my place to ask, a-and you don’t have to tell me, but…..just seems like…..forget it,” he held up his hands, shaking his head, “you don’t have to talk about it, I don’t want to make you-”

“Oscar, it’s fine.” She said, cutting him off. “I got it a long time ago, before I even went to Beacon.” She turned in her seat, looking at herself in the mirror. “I had a test to see if I could _even_ go to one of the huntsmen academies. I passed it,” her hand came up to touch the bottom of the scar, “but not without getting this in the process.”

“Must of been some test….” Oscar said quietly. 

“It used to bother me….” Weiss finally said, taking a deep breath. “Many of my father’s business partners and wealthy friends had their opinions on it, and so did some people even when I finally went to Beacon.” She straightened, dropping her hand. “But not anymore. It’s a part of who I am, and I can’t change what happened, so I just carry with me forward wherever I go.”

She paused. “It’s a reminder of how strong I need to be if I ever want to truly take back my family’s name from him.”

“Well, you’re already pretty strong to me.” Oscar said, stepping closer. “I kind of saw you sparring with your sister today.”

“She still beat me.” Weiss said with a huff of a laugh. Winter. She taught her how to be strong, to fight. 

“Still!” Oscar raised his arms. “You were really cool! I mean I’ve seen you fight, but I’ve never seen anything like that.” He dropped an arm behind his head. “I don’t know if I’ll be at that level…..”

“Well you could start with your forms,” Weiss raised a finger at him. “Didn’t Ozpin teach you any?”

“We started.” Oscar’s eyes looked up at the ceiling, shrugging. 

“Hmm…” Weiss crossed her arms, tilting her head. Lifting it again, she stood up, grabbing her hair ties and pulling up her hair. “Do you have your cane on you?”

“I-uh-it’s in our room.” Oscar pointed over his shoulder. 

“Go get it,” she commanded, “and meet me outside at the large fountain.”

“Wha-why?” 

“Just go.” Weiss nodded her head towards the door, finished braiding her hair, securing the bottom hair tie.

  
  


Oscar rubbed at his arms as a slight breeze blew by, walking to the courtyard. Night had fallen, the evening chill setting in even with the controlled climate and atmosphere of Atlas. The sky was clear tonight, all the stars and moon shining through. He had no idea what Weiss was doing with them coming out here. By their conversation he could guess it was something involving their training. But then why were they coming out here and not going to the training room? Technically they had access to it whenever, at least he did. Whatever it was, he was just glad to be doing something with someone. Training with Ironwood was nice, but there was still this awkward, not exactly a wall, but kind of blockage between them. While Ironwood was kind and supportive during their training sessions, he could still tell he was disappointed that the sparring wasn’t bringing out Ozpin at all. And he still didn’t have the heart to tell him that the history studying wasn’t working either. Turning the corner, the fountain came into view, Weiss standing next to it, waiting for him. 

She smiled, seeing him approach. Myrtenaster was at her hip, a hand resting on it. 

“Can I ask what we’re doing out here?” Oscar stopped in front of her. 

Weiss unclipped her sword from her hip, letting it drop into her hand. “As evident from the training sessions we each had today, it seems like we both could use some more practice.” She stepped up onto the ledge of the fountain. “And you need someone to teach you _properly_.”

Oscar tilted his head, confused. “You..?”

Weiss gawked, her hands on her hips. “Yes, _me_!” She straightened, composing herself again. “I think i’m more than qualified.”

“Okay, okay,” Oscar laughed, hands up in defense, “I won’t question you.”

“Good.” She nodded, extending a hand down. “Now, come on.”

Oscar took her hand, climbing up onto the ledge to stand beside her. The courtyard fountain was indeed huge; simple in design. A large basin, deep, the water probably coming up above your knees if you were to stand in it. In the middle was the water distributor, spewing water on two different tiers; rings encircling each one similar to the ones around the tops of the academy buildings. It was beautiful as night. The moonlight and stars shimmering and reflecting in the water. Oscar stared at it in awe. At least, until another breeze blew by making him shiver. 

“Engage your aura.” Weiss spoke up beside him. 

“Oh, right.” Oscar rubbed his arms. 

“You don’t need to keep it up, just wake it up, so to speak.” Weiss instructed. 

Oscar dropped his arms, closing his eyes, taking a deep breath; focus. He felt his aura envelop his body, like a light blanket, the chill slowly dissipating. 

“Now time for the next preparation.” Weiss said, holding up Myrtenaster. 

“And what’s that?”

She smirked at him before taking a tiny hop off the ledge into the fountain, but instead of her feet touching the water, a path of glyphs appeared on the surface to the middle. She gracefully stepped on each one, finally landing in the middle with a spin to be facing him again. Without pause, she raised Myrtenaster, and in another spin, the tip coming down on the glyph while it expanded. As the glyph expanded, the water in the basin turned to ice, all the way to the edges, even the water spewing from the tiers froze, making odd shapes of ice sculptures. 

“Wow…” Oscar breathed out, leaning over looking at the ice. 

Weiss slid over to him, hands behind her back, and then another outstretched to him again. “Come on.” She repeated.

“What exactly are we doing?” He asked, raising an eyebrow. 

Weiss rolled her eyes. “We’re training. Now get on the ice.” She grabbed his hand that had started reaching for hers, pulling him out onto the ice rink a little forcefully, making him stumble and slide as his feet touched down. Weiss grabbed his other hand as he came down, keeping him upright as they slid out further onto the rink. She was straight and balanced, sliding backwards, while his knees buckled inward trying to stay upright, leaning back and forth trying to stay balanced. 

“C-couldn’t we do this-whoa-on the ground?” He asked. 

“This is better for your balance.” She answered, continuing to hold onto his hands. “If you can be completely balanced on a slick patch of ice while fighting, you’ll be even better on normal ground.”

“I’ve-uh-never really ice skated before….” Oscar squeezed her hands a little tighter, almost slipping again. 

“Don’t worry, it’s easy.” She assured him, stopping them. “Now, stand up straight, so you won’t fall over, feet apart. You need to distribute your weight evenly, just like a normal fighting stance.”

~ ~ 

The Schnee name was one that was known all across Remnant. The biggest dust distributors, and revolutionary legacy. Oscar remembered his Aunt talking about the Schnees from time-to-time, usually when another story was in the news; and usually in irritation. It was obvious that many people didn’t care for the Schnees, mainly the person in charge of the company: Jacques Schnee. Oscar could even remember the night of Fall of Beacon. Seeing the footage of Atlas tech attacking people. That even furthered people’s distaste. The tension that was in the air the next time he and his Aunt were able to go to the markets in town was so high, and it didn’t help any more when the embargo happened. 

But at the same time, Oscar couldn’t stop thinking about how it was said that a Schnee was at the Fall of Beacon. He didn’t watch much of the tournament, but apparently one of Jacques Schnee’s daughters was a student at Beacon, and supposedly returned to Atlas with him. 

And then suddenly one day he could picture her clearly; pure, white hair, a prim attitude, and proper fighting style. He very soon discovered why.

When he met her, she wasn’t at all like in the memories. Well, maybe a little bit, but definitely different. She was actually one the easiest to bond with and get to know. It was almost natural for them. He was nervous around her just like the others at first, meeting someone knew, but it didn’t even last past introductions. She was someone with a lot of pride, but she didn’t let that pride get in the way of her goals or the needs of her teammates. Even with a supposed icy exterior, Weiss was very caring and understanding; in a very blunt and serious way. But there were still many times where that exterior melted away, and she was more loose and fun-having. In a lot of ways, loving. 

The first night she was in the house, after dinner and their talk with Ozpin, she’d found him upstairs in his room, doodling in a blank notebook. 

“May I come in?” She tapped lightly on the open door. Oscar lifted his head, a little surprised. 

“Uh, yeah,” Oscar closed the book, setting it aside, “did you need to talk to Ozpin? I can-”

“No,” she shook her head, smiling, “I was actually wanting to talk to _you._ If that’s alright?”

 _“I’ll go ahead and give you two some privacy.”_ Ozpin spoke up, a slight chuckle behind his words. He felt the old headmaster recede, it still felt weird.

“Sure-yeah,” Oscar answered, to both he guessed. He straightened where he sat on the bed, his foot that had been resting on his leg now on the floor next to his other one, hands folded in his lap. “What is it?”

She sat down on the bed next to him, smoothing out her skirt. “I was just wondering why you were up here all by yourself. Ruby said you’ve been here with them for a little while, so why not be with them downstairs? You weren’t at dinner either.”

“Yeah I have been,” Oscar answered, running a hand through his hair, “guess I just wanted to give all you guys some space. Like Ozpin said, it’s been awhile since you all got to be together.”

“Well you’re more than welcome to join us.” Weiss leaned forward, looking at him. “I’m sure Ruby and the others don’t want you feeling left out.” She reached over, placing a hand on his shoulder. 

“Look,” Oscar rhythmically gripped at the fabric of his pants, “It’s just….a little weird, having your headmaster in my head. And even if I do have him there, I still don’t have the history you all have with each other.”

“You feel out of place.” She finished his thoughts for him. 

He sighed, nodding. “Yeah.”

“Trust me,” she removed her hand, to fold her own together in her lap, “I know how that feels. Being at a party where everyone feels like a stranger, and you can’t relate. At least with this one,” She tilted her head at him, “it’s with nice people you could actually get to know.”

“I take it you’re telling me that Atlas parties aren’t that fun.” He looked up at her, a small smile cracking on his face. 

“Ugh, don’t get me started.” She threw her hands up. “Either way,” She put them down, “even if you’re unsure, you should come be part of the group. It doesn’t matter to us if you haven’t known us as long.” 

She stood up, crossing her arms, walking to the door, her back to him. “And take my advice, it gets pretty tiresome to just stay in a room by yourself all the time.” She looked over her shoulder, dropping her arms. “So, whenever you’re ready, we’ll be playing board games downstairs.” 

Weiss’ face was the first he focused on when he stepped into the living room, smirking softly, patting the empty space beside her for him to sit. 

~ ~

“There you go, you’ve got it!” Weiss’ hands hovered around Oscar’s as they slid around on the ice. Oscar held his arms out in front of him, going back to the sides every so often to keep himself balanced. Every so often, Weiss would make another glyph under him to push him forward, keeping up with her as they went around the ring. 

“You think so?” Oscar smiled, flailing a little as another glyph pushed him towards her. 

“Well, enough for us to start the _real_ lesson.” Weiss stopped them, catching Oscar by the hands. 

“And that is?”

“Take out your cane.” She commanded, grabbing Myrtenaster from her hip. 

“Okay,” Oscar grabbed Long Memory from where it was clipped on his back, clicking the handle to extend it. 

“Ready position.” Weiss held Myrtenaster up, the blade straight in front of her face. 

Oscar took his normal stance, now adjusted to the ice under his feet, though he still shook a little. He waited, while Weiss dropped Myrtenaster to her side and began to skate around him. He followed her with his head as she went around, silent, looking at him. Finally, she came back to standing in front of him, this time bringing her sword up to cross with his cane, just tapping it. He wasn’t sure what to do. Were they going to actually spar? Is she waiting for him to do something?

Suddenly, Weiss swung. Oscar tried to block the swing, but Long Memory was easily knocked out of his hands, and the force of the swing sending him stumbling off-balance, falling down onto the ice.

“Well that’s the first thing we need to work on.” Weiss commented, skating over, picking up Long Memory and handing it back to him. 

He took it from her, standing back up. “Wasn’t really ready for that.”

“It doesn’t matter.” She said, a hand on her hip. “With a good stance you would still be able to protect herself even from a surprise attack. So, that needs to be fixed first. Ready position again.”

Oscar took his stance again. Weiss came to stand beside him, taking her own stance. “Okay, look at mine. See the placement of my feet. Whatever your dominant hand is, that should be the foot you have forward-but not too forward.”

“I kind of use both…” Oscar muttered, looking down at his feet. 

“Then whatever hand your weapon will be in when you don’t have both on it.” She said. 

“Now your body should be forward, but not so much, the bend of your knees will take care of keeping you lower to the ground and keep you rooted.”

“Okay,” Oscar nodded.

“Now, your arms,” she continued, “they need to be strong, keep them out to just in front of you. Enough room to reach out or pull back, especially when changing positions. Now-” She began to skate around him again, helping him shift and adjust his body to her instructions. 

“So, like this?” Oscar looked up at her. 

“Yep, much better.” She smiled. “Now, I’m hoping Ozpin taught you the basic sword forms.”

“Kind of…?” Oscar raised an eyebrow. 

“I was going to reteach you them anyway.” Weiss rolled her eyes. 

“Why’d you ask then?”

“Just curious.” She answered, moving back to his side. “I’ve seen you fight and you need to learn how to wield your weapon properly.”

“What do you mean?” Oscar shrugged his shoulders. He was met with a bonk to his head from the hilt of Myrtenaster. 

“ _Because,_ compared to how you and Ozpin fight with that, it’s night and day. Your weapon is blunt and light. It’s built to be fought with like a rapier sword, but less lethal by not being a blade.”

“Okay, well what’s wrong with the way i’ve been using it?” 

Immediately, Long Memory was snatched out of his grip and retracted, Weiss wagging it at him. “It is _not_ a bat, Oscar.”

Oscar pursed his lips, trying to hide the smile as his face flushed. “Okay, maybe i’m not doing it right. I’ve kind of had to improvise.”

Weiss shook her head, sighing. “Here.” She held Myrtenaster out to him.

“Really? You sure?” He asked, looking at it. 

“Just this once. For a special occasion.” She smiled. He took the sword in his hand. Weiss never let anyone hold Myrtenaster. “You feel the weight of it?”

“Yeah,” He waved it around in his hand, testing it, “feels about the same.”

“So the same techniques can apply for you.” She nodded. “Try doing your normal moves with it.”

Oscar tried, still slipping a little on the ice. He couldn’t decide if he needed both hands on it or not either. “It feels weird.”

Weiss nodded, most likely already expecting that answer. “Exactly. Your fighting style won’t be exactly like mine, your cane allows for more two-handed techniques. But still, you need better forms and execution.”

He handed Myrtenaster back to her, her handing Long Memory to him in return. “So where do we start then?”

“Form 1.”

~ ~

The Schnee name was one that was known all across Remnant. The biggest dust distributors, revolutionary legacy, a status to uphold. The meaning of her name was something ingrained into Weiss from the day she was born. From that day she was trained and practiced to be perfect. She was a wonder to the pompous and regal eyes of Atlas. No, not a wonder. She was a precious porcelain doll, a commodity, a means to an end. But daddy’s precious, porcelain doll was never perfect enough. Never perfect enough to please him. Never perfect enough to even garner mommy’s attention. Soon left to sit on the shelf and hopefully be held lovingly in someone’s arms one day. Others did come to make sure she was still in pristine condition. And daddy still brought people around to show her off to them. 

Maybe that was why she left the scar. She could have healed her scar so it was less noticeable once her aura rejuvenated a little after the fight. But she left it, let Klein and the medics take care of it normally and bandage it up. The porcelain doll was no longer perfect. She now had a crack, an imperfection. It wasn’t enough to dress or wear her hair differently. But a scar could not be changed back. At first she tried to cover it with makeup, sometimes at the insistence of her father or mother. But eventually, they just left it. People had already seen. They already knew. No use in hiding it. They said their pieces, she took it in stride. Because, their opinions didn’t matter. 

Then she met people who didn’t care about any of that. Her name, her appearance, her scar; it didn’t matter to them. People…..who did finally pick the doll off the shelf and hold her, cherish her, love her. If she fell apart, they would just help put her back together. 

Being shoved back into her glass case after the Fall of Beacon was painful. But this time, she ignored everyone who came near, did not even give them the option of laying eyes on her; that is until forced into their sight. At least there were some people there who did still care. 

And one who tricked her into thinking they cared. 

But she escaped again. She went to find Winter. But Winter was already gone. Instead though, she found more than what she could have ever dreamed. She found Yang. She found Ruby. She found everyone again (almost everyone). 

And also someone new. 

It was strange to find out their headmaster was now sharing a soul and body with a kid. But, considering everything that happened, it wasn’t really strange for very long. Oscar was shy, but very polite and kind. He had his quirks. He made her smile. Something about him, the two of them just naturally clicked. Ruby and Jaune told her about how shy and awkward he would probably be around her and Yang for a little bit. But, the night they arrived and she went to talk to him, it was nonexistent. They were just comfortable around one another. And it only continued as their time together continued. 

Maybe it was because she understood a bit of what he was going through. Your life being controlled without any way of fighting against it. That wasn’t to say Oscar’s situation was hopeless, but Ozpin had said it’s strenuous, and it was blatant to all of them. She saw the way Oscar struggled to learn to fight. The way he accidentally talked about something at Beacon or about her, and became horribly embarrassed, usually then hiding away for an hour or two. The way he sometimes had nightmares of something from Ozpin’s past. He couldn’t control any of it. 

She felt it tugging at her heart all the time. The desire to do for him what everyone else had done for her. To help him find a way to have control. To be there and tell him it was okay. Show him the care and love he no doubt needed. She could tell from the way he strayed away from them; staying on the outside of the group, disappearing from the conversations, lingering away or behind them, usually not talking unless someone talked to him first. 

Sometimes they had coffee in the morning, before he would go outside with Ruby; he was at least close with her (another thing they had in common). Other times they would just talk, or look at books together. She helped him study dust a few times in their training with Ozpin. 

After the Battle of Haven she helped keep an eye on Oscar. He needed help, getting sick from the overexertion and injuries, and dealing with something like that for the first time. He ended up actually being more worried about her, since she had gotten hurt worse than him. But she had been fully healed, only leaving a scar, whereas Oscar had to heal on his own. Carrying the strength and aura of two people meant he also carried the exhaustion of two people. She took some fun in making small “ice packs” for him with her semblance to keep his temperature down, having her small knight carry little things to him; things to keep his attitude up and some form of entertainment. 

After Jinn’s revelation and Ozpin’s disappearance did she realize a bit more of the kind of care and protection she had for him. But it wasn’t until he went missing in Argus did it fully hit her. 

He was her little brother. 

The hole in her heart left by Whitley in his manipulation. It had been unknowingly filled by Oscar. He was just Whitley’s age, but shorter, and completely opposite in personality. She left him behind in Atlas, he didn’t want her. But Oscar was there in Mistral, and he did. She had with Oscar what she never got to have with Whitley. And truth be told, she hadn’t even given a second thought about seeing Whitley the entire time that they had been in Atlas…..

  
  


~ ~

“One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six.” 

They moved slowly back and forth on the ice. One set of Weiss striking, calling the forms to block. The next set, Oscar now striking, with her calling the forms again. He’d finally found his footing on ice, no longer slipping as they stepped in time, each weapon crossing with the strikes and blocks. 

“Good.” Weiss stopped, lowering Myrtenaster. “You’re picking up fast, as usual.”

“You think so?” Oscar’s eyes lit up, running a hand through his hair. 

“Or course I do.” She smiled, shaking her head at him. “Once you get faster with these, we can start mixing it up with strikes and blocks.”

“I’ve got a lot of catching up to do.” Oscar pushed off his foot, skating around in place. 

“Well, you’ve got plenty of time while we’re here. You’ll get it in no time.” Weiss tried to reassure him. 

“But we don’t!” Oscar slid to a stop, facing her again. “We don’t know what kind of time we have. _I_ don’t know what kind of time I have.”

Weiss dropped her eyes,her lips parting. “Oscar….is there something you want to talk about?”

Quickly, Oscar turned away, skating around again. “No.”

Weiss pushed off where she stood, skating around him, gently taking a hold of his wrists, keeping him facing her. “You don’t have to talk. But I want you to listen.”

She pulled them around like when they first started. A steady pace, drifting around the ice. “Stop thinking about that.”

“Weiss, I can’t just stop thinking about something like that.” Oscar returned the hold on her wrists, looking down. “It’s not that simple.”

“I know.” She replied, no change in her expression. “But you have to stop. All you're doing is making yourself worry more.”

“Well, what else am I supposed to do?”

“Oscar,” Weiss started, changing their hold to their hands, “you know no matter what happens, we’re all going to be here for you. If you change…..we’ll still be here.”

“How am I supposed to deal with possibly not being myself anymore?” Oscar asked. “Nothing has been my choice. I don’t have control over anything.”

“That’s not true.”

“What?” He raised his head. 

“You chose to fight at Haven. You chose to reveal the truth about Ozpin. _You_ chose to come back in Argus.” Weiss spun them, coming to a stop in the middle. “And you’re continuing to stick with us and fight…..even after everything we put you through getting here.”

“A lot of times after I stopped him, and made everything happen,” Oscar started, taking a breath, “I wished I hadn’t……”

“I know none of us made it any easier….” Weiss said, looking away for a moment. 

“But, what would’ve happened if I didn’t?” He met her eyes. “I kept thinking….if something ended up happening to one of you because we didn’t know the truth….there’s no way I could’ve lived with that…..that’s what I thought about when I ran away.”

“But you didn’t deserve to get caught in the crossfire.” Weiss shook her head, sliding a bit closer. “And we don’t want that to happen again.”

Oscar took another deep breath. “I meant it when I said I want to do whatever I can with whatever time I have left. With Oz gone….I have to pick up the pieces. When the time comes that we have to tell Ironwood….I should be the one to do it.”

“Oscar-”

“I’m prepared for whatever happens.” He pressed. 

“Ironwood’s heart is in the right place. He wants to do good.” Weiss said, eyes gazing off to the side. “But people weren’t wrong when they said he has paranoid tendencies. If you do it, Oscar, we won’t let you do it all by yourself.”

“I appreciate that.” He smiled a little. She nodded, squeezing his hands a little. 

“I know it feels like you don’t have any control.” She said. “But, you’re the one that’s still here, and the one taking the lead for both of you. If you ask me,” She pulled them along again, sliding towards the edge, “you’re carving the path now, with your own strength.”

“You really think so?” He asked, looking up at her again. She simply tilted her head down at him, smirking. 

“Alright,” She stopped them, started to climb up onto the ledge of the basin, “it’s getting late, the others are probably looking for us. Don’t want to freak them out with you missing again.”

“Actually…..” Oscar tugged on her hand still holding his, “could we maybe stay a little longer? Just have some fun?” He gave his signature awkward smile. The one she couldn’t resist. 

Smirking again, she hopped back down onto the ice. “I suppose we could, have you ever tried figure skating?”

She began to lead them around the rink, side by side. Oscar is probably worried about what he can do right now, finding his own strength and control. He just maybe needs someone to help push him along and reassure him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter ended up even longer than Blake's! This was one I really loved the outline for and excited to get to to explore the relationship. (And just as a tease, this isn't the last time Weiss' view of Oscar as a surrogate little brother will be seen). 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed! Next on the lineup to spend time with Oscar is.........................................................Yang!
> 
> Comments and feedback are always welcome~


	5. Controlling the Fire (Yang's Time)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a rough day on jobs, Yang runs into Oscar who's also had a rough day. To clear their heads, Yang decides to take them a little trip outside the Academy. A little trip that lets out more than just the day's emotions and making the two remember the bond with the other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's finally here! The long awaited chapter! I once again have to thank all of you for your extreme patience. Quarantine and the summer were not kind for being able to work. But we are back on track with routine and work time. 
> 
> And as expected, this chapter ended up being WAY longer than planned. (Had about 10 more pages than the Weiss chapter). So please enjoy~

Life was supposed to be an adventure. A journey where you have no idea what’s coming next, especially that when you’re a huntsman or huntress. What could be better than having a life full of thrills and not knowing what the next day would bring? There was a whole world out there beyond the little island of Patch, just waiting with new things and experiences. Sure, there was good pay with being a huntress, especially if you were one of the best in the world. But the money and fame couldn’t beat the ferocity and excitement of fighting; the flow of battle, the dance of bodies of weapons, uncovering a mystery, starting a new mission the next day. From the day she could stand on her own two feet, she felt it; that fighting spirit and call to adventure. There was a reason her father and uncle called her “Firecracker”. 

She was never shamed or felt ashamed for being who she was. She was straightforward, a bit brash sometimes, but honest, and full of fire (in more ways than one). Maybe she was a bit reckless sometimes, but who wasn’t? When you’re facing someone who looks down on you they don’t expect you to come straight at them with no hesitation. They think you’ll retreat or try to get around them carefully. And no one ever expected her in a fight. She was blessed with beauty, her mother always made sure to tell her whenever-hair as bright as the sun and summer lilies but soft and fluffy like a sheep’s new coat of wool, skin smooth as satin but tough as nails, eyes as lavender as pure amethyst and full of love and when red like a pure sunset and full of determination. The biggest thing was when she talked about her hands. She said she had hands made to grasp the world and anything within it. Maybe that was why she chose to be a brawler, her fists as her true weapon. 

Her father taught her as soon as she was able to start learning; more like she finally got him to cave and start. The memory of her aura unlocking was always a fun one to look back on. As soon as it unlocked she was full of energy, hair bursting into flames and eyes changing from lavender to bright red-scaring the living daylights out of both father and uncle. 

She trained. She worked hard. She never stopped. Never. She never backed down. 

Even when her mother died. 

Even when she found out her mother wasn’t her real mother. 

Even when her father couldn’t put himself together again. 

People looked down at her with pity. They couldn’t believe a child could do what she was doing. Maybe they were right, she shouldn’t have had to do what she did. But she did it. That’s just the way life was. All she could was press forward and spit back in the misfortune’s face that tried to knock her or her family down. She didn’t want bystander’s pity, she didn’t need it. Don’t underestimate her. 

She’s beautiful, and she can be rowdy, be called the “party girl”, whatever they want. She’ll always be stronger than them. She’ll always come at them to slam their pushes right back at them even harder. To even be honest, she kind of started to enjoy it when people underestimated her. It made the looks on their faces that much more enjoyable when she wiped the floor with them. Father and uncle took care to warn her about letting the confidence go to her head, and she knew that, but that rush in her chest was one of the best feelings in the world. 

The other was everything about her little sister-her little Ruby. 

She loves her more than Remnant itself. Anything or anyone that even dared to breath wrong in the direction of her beloved baby sister was headed for a beating. Ruby was a pure light in a world filled with so much darkness. Her awkward, clumsy, overzealous, baby sister. A spitting image of her own mother, of Summer Rose. From the very beginning, it was no doubt that despite being adorable and stumbling over her own feet sometimes, Ruby was born to be a powerful huntress, just like Summer. She was terrible with social interactions, but a natural in the language of weapons and fighting; a pure prodigy. 

And she was nothing but proud of her. Some kids may get jealous of a sibling being so naturally gifted, especially if they end up overshadowed. But, Ruby never bragged about her talents, she was modest and shied away from the compliments of being a prodigy. Maybe there were times that she let herself be jealous and silently bitter about it for moments through the years, but they were nothing but grains of sand in an ocean. Instead of bitter and jealousy, it may have been nothing more than just wanting to be more like her. Ruby looked up to her for everything, if only she could know that she herself looked at Ruby that way for things. 

But speaking personal feelings were never really her thing. Instead she turned that into supporting and loving her in every way possible. 

That day that Ruby built her scythe, got accepted into Signal, won her first sparring match at school, and then got accepted two years early to Beacon-her heart soared. She wanted the world to see how special her sister was, she wanted them to see what she saw. 

She may have lost a birth mother...and a real mother….the world taking both from her…

…..But it left her with a beautiful and irreplaceable sister, and she wouldn’t trade her for anything.

Beacon was the best days of her life. The school of countless people’s dreams and ambitions, and she got to spend it with her sister. She met lifelong friends, and some even closer than others. People she loved with all her being and cherished and never wanted to let go of. People who looked straight at her and took the time to get to know her truly. They cared for her just as she cared for them. They each taught each other things to become better huntsmen and huntresses, better people. It was the absolute dream, every obstacle in her life so far overcome and worth it to gain what she had-

-and then the world took it away again…..

Many people uttered the words “life’s not fair”, “the world can be cruel”, but she never let them lay on her shoulders. When someone decides to fight unfairly, you could do the same, or even still find a way to win by fighting fair; you just have to keep your head and your fists up. 

-But this time it seemed like she couldn’t raise her head again, much less a fist to keep up…..

All in a day- the world took her confidence, people’s faith in her, her home, her team, her friend, her arm, her ability to fight…….the person whom she thought would never run from her…..

It took it all away, and this time it left her with nothing but scars and no identity of who she even was anymore. And then her sister left her behind too. But, never would she blame Ruby or be truly angry with her. Who was she at that time to be able to stand up and fight alongside anyone? It wasn’t until the day after Ruby left did it hit her-the way she acted when all Ruby was was concerned about her and wanted to find some sort of hope or positivity. The days that Ruby was home recovering herself, and at the same time secretly preparing to leave, she came to check on her. Eat meals with her, change her bandages, help change her clothes, or just try to talk to her. And every time, she would just push her away, claim she wasn’t hungry, insist she could do it herself (until dad came in to help her anyway), or just barely say anything until Ruby would silently get up from the edge of the bed and leave-each time muttering “I love you”.

She never said it back. 

The day after Ruby left it all hit her. She never once said it back. Her little sister that only wanted to help her and be there for her the same way she always was to her, she never echoed the simple sentiment back. In the midst of not loving herself, she forgot to love her family. A silent vow etched into her heart, the gleaming prosthetic arm a reminder, to never let herself do it again. Every day she would say it. Every chance she would show it. She would never know if one day Ruby walked out a door uttering those words, they would be the last time to hear it and say it back. 

A question entered her mind every day, especially once she finally left home. While  she did need the time to grieve, to process, she also spent too much time feeling sorry for herself-forgetting who she was. Dad was right. He pushed her and some of her buttons because that’s what she needed. He knew it was, he didn’t forget who she was. He was still careful and protective, as any father should be, reluctant to let go and say she was ready again. But, he didn’t forget who she was. He gave her what she needed, and let her go. 

It was in her very soul to get up and come back stronger and fight back, so even if the world was in chaos and throwing enemies at every corner, nothing was going to keep her from finding Ruby. Nothing was going to stop her from finding Ruby and saying the three words she should have said without any hesitation. Not Grimm, not bandits, not nature itself, not even her own stubborn mother. 

Anything for Ruby…….

~ ~

Of all the danger and harrowing days on their journey, there were plenty of normal times to be frustrated and angry. But, the outrage and petulance of one day full of little frustrations one after the other coming out, getting angry at things that pale in comparison just made it boil more. It was taking everything to keep her hair from igniting in the airship. Yang’s foot bounced vigorously on the floor, the opposite hand in her crossed arms tapping away at her arm while the other gripped her jacket,every so often she gave her lip a little bite to ease the pressure on her teeth from gritting them. 

The ride was making her simple curse that Atlas had to be in the sky, with only airships to get to it. Airships that couldn’t open the windows and let in a cool breeze to the unbearably stuffy cabin, or what she wanted more, to cool her down. She had taken to sitting as naturally as she could, crossing her arms, eyes closed, not wanting to draw anyone’s attention or comments. Now was not the time she wanted to deal with little small-talk comments or questions. It was a struggle to not let out exasperated, loud breaths through her nose. There was no one else in the ship but her and the two pilots, quiet as a pin, so you could absolutely hear someone breathing.She just wanted to get back to the Academy and-

-and do whatever. If the training rooms were still open, hopefully she could use them to blow off some steam.  _ Actually _ blow off some steam. That was the whole point of doing some missions this evening and night. Adding to the frustration, it didn’t work out. Sure, not every job you took as a huntress was going to be filled with fun and joy, but it’s still annoying when it seems to be more trouble than it’s worth or just full of problems. 

It was just a bounty job. They were licensed huntsmen and huntresses now so they could do any job they wanted, especially off the clock; General Ironwood’s clock. Grimm hunting was nice and all, good way to break a sweat and get some exercise, but she found that bounties were her favorite. Maybe it was the look on a criminal’s face when they were tracked down and cornered. Or the satisfaction of kicking their butt after they claim to be tough. She didn’t like being underestimated just because she was pretty, but it did come with a silver-lining of whatever poor bloke at the end of her gauntlets never seeing it coming. Part of fighting was using whatever advantage you have over your opponent, and that was always the easiest one to exploit. 

A slight shaking of the ship jostled her from her thoughts again, gritting her teeth to keep the growl in her throat down. At this point, any little thing was bothering her, and she didn’t like it. She wanted off this ship as soon as possible, punch something in the training room, get some grub, and take a shower. That usually helped her calm down on a bad day. 

Finally, the airship touched down at the academy, the pilots calling back to her to confirm their arrival. She was already standing, ready for the doors to open the moment the radio crackled to life with the dock welcoming them. With a nonchalant wave of gratitude for the ride, she hopped down from the ship before the door opened fully, shoving her hands into the pockets of her jacket. The breeze felt nice against her face. A beep from her scroll brought her hand back out, opening it. A message from Ruby. 

_ R: Are you done with that bounty mission yet? Blake and I are making dinner tonight! _

Yang could feel a little bit of the tension leave her shoulders at the text. 

_ Y: YOU making dinner? Maybe I should pass. :P _

_ R: My cooking isn’t THAT bad! …...Ren is also “supervising” as he calls it >:( _

She chuckled under her breath. While Ruby was a prodigy was weapons, with a spatula and pan she stumbled. 

_ Y: Alright, alright. Sounds like it’ll be safe enough. Might be late though….. _

_ R: Don’t worry about it! We’ll save you some whenever you get back!” _

_ R: LOVE YOU!!!!! <3 <3 <3 _

_ Y: Love you too <3 _

Yang sighed, placing the scroll back in her pocket, as she pushed open the door into the academy. As much as she wanted to go straight to the others, eat a good meal, and have some laughs, she just couldn’t right now. Not with every little thing threatening to have her blow a gasket. The short conversation with Ruby helped a little bit, but it wouldn’t be enough to quell the rising fire, even in-person. With things going so well, and everyone having good times, coming in angry and possibly snapping at someone on accident would be something much rather avoided. 

Keeping her head down and walking swift, she headed for the training rooms. It was late enough in the evening they should be cleared out by now. She let out a breath once she reached the doors to one, scanning her scroll on the panel for it to unlock. Taking a second to scan the room for anyone she stepped inside, replacing her scroll into her pocket and rolling up the sleeves of her jacket. Each step putting her closer and onto the training floor, she could feel the fire reaching the surface now that she was alone and in a sanctuary. Reaching into her pocket, she brought out two rolls of bullets; training bullets to be more precise. Courtesy of Atlas Academy, with these rubber-like bullets she wouldn’t have to worry about wasting actual ammo in training. Usually she kept one round of them on her just a last resort if she ever did run out of ammo or dust in the field. They weren’t deadly, but they still hurt and could do something. 

She’d just finished loading one round in, when a sound distracted her. Huffing, she stepped around the block wall she’d been standing in front of. Stopping, she took in the sight before her with a raised eyebrow. The floor was covered in ice, a lot in weird patches. Small pillars and blocks scattered amongst them, a few with ice on top of them. Movement in the corner caught her eye. A figure of green and red came from around the corner of another pillar, sliding backwards on the ice-Oscar. 

Leaning back on the pillar, crossing her arms, she watched as he continued sliding across the ice, a bit expertly, cane in one hand. Obviously he hadn’t noticed her presence yet, more concentrated on whatever it was he was doing. She could see the focus on his face. To her admittance, it was surprising to see the kid so coordinated. To her knowledge and experience with him, he’d never ice skated or showed any signs of being able to. He spun and did little hops all around on the ice as he swung his cane in different forms and stances. From what she could deduce, he must have been watching or studying with Weiss recently. The movements and style closely matched hers in a way. 

Her eyes widened in surprise as Oscar braced as he slid backwards and then jumped into a backflip right on the ice over one of the blocks. As impressive as the act was, her surprise quickly turned into a wince as he tried to land, but his foot slipped as it made contact with the ice again, leading him to land right on his face. The cane clattered across the ground, skidding to a stop right at Yang’s feet. Pursing her lips, she pushed herself off the wall, popping the cane up into her hand with her boot. 

“An eight for the flip, but definitely a three for the landing.” She said, stepping to the edge of the ice. 

“Yang!” Oscar’s head snapped up in surprise, and tried to scramble up on the ice, albeit less gracefully now. Once he was up, he timidly took the cane from her as she held it out. “Uh-when did you get here?”

“Not that long ago.” She pivoted on her heel, heading back towards the pillar she was facing before. “Surprised to see you here too.”

He followed her off the ice. “Training with General Ironwood didn’t exactly go as planned today, so thought i’d come in here and work on something else….”

“Hmph,” Yang huffed, a smirk twitching the corner of her lips, “Seems like we both had not so great days.”

An awkward pause hung in the air, as to who decided they would speak first again. 

“What about you?” Oscar chose to speak. “What did you do today? You were gone all day.”

“A lot.” Yang answered, a bit too quickly, fiddling with her arm and Ember Celica. “More wall defense in Mantle.” She finally elaborated. “Why don’t you tell me what training with General Ironwood is like.” She stretched out her arms and legs to warm up again. 

“It’s…..something.” Oscar thumbed the cane in his hands, looking away. “I mean I  _ am  _ learning a lot, but it’s just……I don’t know.”

“Weird?” Yang guessed, flexing her hands. 

“Something like that.”

“You’re here at the academy all the time, is training all you do with him?”

“No,” Oscar answered, “sometimes we do other stuff, but that’s never really predictable.”

Yang raised an eyebrow at him over her shoulder. “That other stuff being…?”

“You probably already know the answer to that.” He raised an eyebrow back at her, crossing his arms. 

She huffed a long breath. “Right.” 

“So-” Oscar started again, “you do anything else besides work at the wall? I mean, what’s it like down in the city for other stuff?”

“Well, we all saw it when we got here.” Yang answered, starting to run through her shadowboxing. 

“For all of five minutes,” Oscar shot back, “so I really only know what i’ve read while being here. So, what kind of jobs have you been doing? Ruby’s told me about a couple.”

Yang paused, taking a breath, trying to make it look as natural as possible. The fire had subsided a bit before, but now the conversation was making her think about it again, making the fire build up again. It shouldn’t be that big of a deal. Curse her damn temper. 

“Let’s just say, Mantle’s something.” She continued her shadowboxing. “Especially right now. There’s tons of different jobs to do.” 

“What’s your favorite one to do?” Oscar asked, the previous sass leaving his tone. Now he’s being his usual curious self. 

“Bounty jobs.” She gave a short, stiff answer again. 

“You catch criminals.” Oscar took a seat on a block by her, a small smile on his face. Don’t ruin it Yang. 

“Pretty much.” She turned in a kick. “When the police can’t catch someone, or deemed too dangerous for them, the job goes to us.”

“Sounds serious. I-I mean all of our-I mean  _ your _ jobs are serious. It’s just, going up against a dangerous criminal seems more dangerous than Grimm.” Oscar shook his head. 

“It varies.” Yang responds. “Sometimes a Grimm job ends up more dangerous than one bad guy. It’s unpredictable.”

“So, is that the kind of job you were on today? Bounty?” Oscar continued, leaning forward in his seat. 

Yang sighed, pausing her exercise again, “Yep.”

“What was it like?” 

Bless the gods for Oscar’s cuteness and lightheartedness a lot of times, it was on par with Ruby’s at times, but in this case it was unknowingly pushing on her buttons right now. Naturally he was just curious. This was a time she wished he wasn’t curious, and she didn’t want to be rude. It was exactly what she was trying to avoid by coming here first instead of going to dinner with the others when she got back. Keep that fire down and diffuse the conversation. Just tell him outright, you don’t want to talk about it. But be gentle. 

While her brain said she wanted to avoid the conversation, her mouth was already talking. “Terrible.” 

She punched the air hard, and she missed how Oscar’s demeanor changed where he was sitting. “I spent all day over that hole in the wall-” she huffed, “-pot-shotting Grimm and having to eventually go out into the tundra because of a pack.” 

She roundhouse kicked hard. “It was tedious and tiring. I finally got back here and wanted to just blow off some steam so I took the bounty job.”

“Yang, if you don’t want to-” Oscar tried to mutter out, but it was drowned out as Yang continued. 

“I was just supposed to track down this sleazebag going around mugging people, more often hurting them even if they complied. And it wasn’t even that hard to find him.” She stopped her shadowboxing. “All I had to do was shake down his buddy.”

She started pacing. “And he was right there in my sights. I had him!”

“It didn’t go quite as planned I guess?”

“Of course it didn’t!” Yang sighed. “I chased him down the streets, he was weak as crap, he could barely put up a fight against someone like me! And I  _ had him _ ! I was just about to arrest him, but of course what that creep was actually good at is running away! Of course he was hanging out in the part of town nearer to the hole in the wall!”

Oscar had gone a bit more quiet. 

“Bastard used the hole in the wall to lure Grimm into it, and right into the crowd of people on the streets. I had to go and protect them first obviously. But what happens because of that? That Grimm-fodder potshots  _ me _ right into more Grimm! And he  _ got away _ !” Yang threw up her hands. 

“Sounds rough…” Oscar said. 

“He made me look like an idiot!” Yang shouted in the other direction. 

“You can just make him look like a bigger idiot when you find him again, this just means the job isn’t finished yet right?” Oscar stood up from his block, trying to smile at her. 

“That’s not the  _ point!! _ ” Yang turned, a huge bang going off beside her, as the pillar block shattered. Oscar jumped back harshly, eyes casting downward and hands floating up in front of him. 

She blinked, noticing the reaction and looking from him to the now shattered blocks and smoking nozzle of Ember Celica. Right….she hadn’t switched out her other gauntlet’s bullets yet….

…..And now she’s scared Oscar. 

She looked back to him, biting her lip. He was trying to hide it, but he was fidgeting backward and avoiding eye contact with her. Dissembling Ember Celica she stood up straight, holding her hand in her other one, she took a step forward. 

“Sorry.” She looked at the floor for a second. “I’m sorry, Oscar. I didn’t mean to snap like that. Not at you.”

It took a minute for him to respond. “I-it’s okay.” He still hadn’t come back any closer. 

“If you got anything you want to yell about, you can go ahead and yell at me back.” She offered, attempting any kind of remedy. 

“No,” he shook his, now raising his head to her again at least, “Don’t really feel like yelling at anyone.”

Yang braved stepping closer to him. She’d done exactly what she wanted to avoid and worse. This was Oscar. Anyone else could brush off her explosions after a minute or two. But, Oscar was still practically fresh off everyone in the group yelling and shouting towards him…..

…...especially her. 

And on top of that something was still wrong with Oscar lately. For all she knew she could be making it worse now with this outburst. Time to enter big sister mode. 

“I don’t really think working out anymore today is gonna help either of us. Wanna go someplace else?” She nodded her head towards the door. 

“Yeah,” Oscar breathed out, “sounds good.”

“Well, come on then, I think I know just the thing to do.” She wrapped an arm around his neck and shoulders, leading them out of the room. 

~ ~

It’s always talked about how some people have fiery personalities. In a world full of complicated social rules and constructs there are people that bypass all of them or have no fear of them by being straightforward, brash, and full of bravado. Living outside of the kingdoms and only traveling to a small town every so often meant that Oscar hadn’t encountered very many of those kinds of people. His Aunt for sure was one of them. She was a total rock and never let anything get in her way. When he was younger and first met her, he was a bit scared, and even more so when he went to live with her. But behind that bold front, she was as loving and gentle. It fascinated him how she could blend those two versions of herself into one so easily. And while his Aunt was respected among many people and practically everyone in nearby towns knew her, he could still see the way others treated her like an outcast. Part of what helped internally make a connection with her, and that maybe they weren’t so different. While he was more quiet and soft spoken most of the time, and she more confident and harolding, they both didn’t always quite fit to the circles around them. And while they seemed to be opposites in who they were upfront, they each brought out that other side in each other perfectly. At home-at the farm-he found himself bantering back and forth with her unlike with anyone else. It’s how it was. 

And then Ozpin came along. 

The dynamic was shattered. He tried to ignore it at first and live like normal. But the intruding voice, memories, and nightmares began to pile up. For days and days on end he worked to hide it and not let her think he was going crazy. He could feel himself pulling away from her because he was trying to hide what was happening, and she was definitely noticing. And she tried to act like things were still as they were as well. Maybe it was one of those adult things, and she thought he was just being a teenager, hoping it would pass. Granted, he never did talk with her much about personal things, so maybe she didn’t feel like she could ask him what was wrong. As time went on, it just got worse. So many times he almost called her someone she wasn’t, or started to talk about something he shouldn’t know anything about, especially Beacon. 

Ozpin tried to help, tried to talk to him, but he resisted it all, keeping the new voice at arm’s length. Somewhere along the way, one day, he didn’t. He can’t really remember the exact point where he actually started listening to him and thinking about what he said, but he did. And just like that, everything was changing for him faster and faster until he packed his bags and left without a goodbye. He had no idea where he was going, or who he was going to meet. He was scared out of his life. He didn’t have the bravado of the soul he was now connected to. 

Meeting everyone in Mistral was terrifying. Every step of the way Ozpin assured him they were kind and safe. But even then he still couldn’t feel like part of the circle, but he did like all of them. Ruby was like a ray of sunshine and so inspiring. Nora was full of love and support. Ren was wise and guiding. Jaune was kind and understanding. And Qrow…..Qrow was honest and protective. Five new people who barely knew him, but welcomed him in and tried to make him feel that way. And soon enough there two more added, Weiss and Yang-Ruby’s sister. 

While he had vague memories of all of them, and he knew they were all good people, and Ruby had even told him about her from time to time. But that didn’t make it any less intimidating to meet her in person. When he first walked into the room the day she arrived, he was only thinking about being happy to see Ruby with two of her teammates again. Both he and Ozpin were happy. 

Then the moment passed and it was time for  _ him _ to meet her. She had a bright smile, brighter than her hair, and eyes that reminded him of the early morning sky at the farm with their color. But the residual nervousness still took the frontline. The waves of intimidation that came off her were enormous. Just like his Aunt she was straightforward and brash. He wasn’t even sure what to say or do when Ruby pulled him over to introduce him. It surprised him when no one mentioned that Ozpin was in his head, at least not yet at the time. 

Immediately she was giving him a smile and ruffling his hair. When he finished fixing his hair, he couldn’t help but pause at the prosthetic arm. Maybe it was both him and Ozpin, but that wasn’t in the memories at the back of his head. Of course she noticed, and he profusely apologized, but all she did was give another smile and roll of her shoulders and started showing it off to him until the others called for dinner being ready. 

After the Ozpin reveal, things were a little awkward for a while. It was like tiptoeing on a floor of glass wanting to make sure he didn’t fall right through it. She was a quick eye though and took notice and promptly scolded him with more so teasing. More than often she wanted to train him for hand-to-hand, dragging him into her and Ruby’s sessions too. He got the most bruises from her sparring, but she always made sure to help patch him up afterwards if he needed it. It slowly got easier and less awkward, but there was still something there he couldn’t place, a weird feeling. It was like he wasn’t sure how to describe the relationship they had. It was like they were friends, but time-to-time there were these little things; hair ruffles, an arm around his shoulder, waking him up in the morning, saving him a spot at breakfast, and at certains times a shoulder to lean on. 

He wanted to ask her one of those times how she saw him, maybe find an answer to that question that was burning at the back of his mind. But he could never really find the courage or the right time eventually. 

Especially after the train ride to Argus….and everything after. 

~ ~

“Uh, Yang are you sure we’re allowed to be in here?” Oscar paused in the doorway, looking around as if someone could turn the corner and see them at any moment.

“We’re staying here at the academy, and we’re licensed huntsmen.” Yang answered, stretching an arm above her head, not even looking back as she walked in. 

“I’m  _ not _ licensed.” Oscar pointed out, hopping a small step forward. 

“Well  _ I _ am,” Yang retorted, “and you’re the super special boy of the school, so I don’t really think Ironwood would care where you’re at.”

“You’d be surprised.” Oscar muttered, raising an eyebrow, fully stepping into the room and looking around. “So, what exactly are we doing down here?”

Yang didn’t answer for a minute as she sauntered around the room, hands on her hips as she looked around, searching for something. Oscar followed behind her. They were obviously in some sort of tech/mechanic garage. What she was looking for he couldn’t begin to guess. Finally she stopped, Oscar too busy looking around himself to notice and bumping into her back. 

“Aha!” She cheered, not paying any mind to him running into her, “there you are!”

Reaching down, she grabbed a tarp covering something and flung it off with one hand. Unfortunately that led to it going right over her shoulder on top of Oscar. Flailing to get it off, Oscar stepped to Yang’s side to see what had been under the tarp. There, bright white, silver, and black-a motorcycle. 

“A motorbike? What are we doing with this?”

Rubbing her hands together, Yang stepped towards it with an eager smirk. She ran her hands along it, squatting down to look at the insides, grasping at the handles. 

“Well, she’s no Bumblebee,” Yang stood back up, hands on her hips, “but she’ll do.”

“Do what?” Oscar raised an eyebrow at her, even though he already had a small inkling of her idea. 

“What do you think?” Reaching over, she picked up a helmet, tossing it to him, grabbing one for herself and swinging her leg over the bike to sit on it. “Safety first.”

“Are you sure we’re allowed to take it?” He turned the helmet over and over in his hands. 

“Oh, i’m sure the big Atlas military won’t be missing  _ one _ bike for an hour or so.” She waved a hand. “Much less do I think Ironwood would care.” She put the helmet on. “We’re working with him so we should have full access to the resources provided here at the Academy.”

“Which includes the bikes?”

“Which includes the bikes.” She held up her chin, smiling at him. “Now hop on.” She patted the seat behind her. 

“I don’t know, Yang.” Oscar shied away, holding the helmet close to his chest. 

“Come on, what’s the matter?” She leaned over the handlebars, peering at him. 

“Ironwood doesn’t exactly want me leaving the academy….” Oscar started, looking away, “.....at all…”

“Seriously?” Yang rested her chin in her hand, raising an eyebrow herself now. “Like  _ at all,  _ at all?”

Oscar shook his head. “I can go wherever I want in here,” he shrugged his shoulders, “but not anywhere outside of...here.”

Yang paused for a moment, pursing her lips. “Does he know where you are now?”

“What?” Oscar raised his head. “No-I don’t think so. It’s not like he has me microchipped.”

“Then you should be fine to go out for just a little bit. You need some fresh air and a change of scenery.” Yang leaned back, starting up the bike. 

“But-” Oscar began to protest again. 

“And you’ll be with me.” She cut him off. “So even if the General knew, he wouldn’t need to worry. Now hop on already.”

Oscar let out a deep breath. “Okay, okay.” Slipping on the helmet he climbed on behind her, awkwardly trying to figure out how to sit-

-and what to hold onto. 

Of course Yang noticed, as she watched him over her shoulder, letting out a small giggle. He met her eyes, the heat rising to his cheeks. 

“I-uh…” he stammered, rubbing the back of his hair, “I guess I should probably-I mean if that’s alright with you-uh….”

“Well, I don’t see where else you’re going to hang on to with.” She smiled at him, laughing again. “You certainly are a gentleman, though.”

Scooting forward, Oscar slowly moved his arms around Yang’s sides, wrapping around them at her stomach. It wasn’t per say-embarrassing-but a little uncertain. He’d never ridden with Yang before on her bike. It felt strange. 

Giving a quick pat on his arm, Yang turned her head forward, kicking up the kickstand and putting the bike into gear. “Okay, you ready?”

“Mmhm.” Oscar nodded, adjusting his grip a little more. 

Riding with Yang was terrifying. Maybe terrifying was a bit much; a better word could be nerve-wracking. Or heart-pounding. As Oscar was pretty sure his was going to beat out of his chest. When they’d rode out the garage, they cruised easy enough. Most likely he gathered now was to avoid being caught in any way. It was a beautiful night. The sky was clear, stars coming into view as the sun was midway into setting, drowning the floating city in breathtaking pinks, purples, and oranges. It reminded him of the sky back in Mistral. The way it was shimmering off some of the buildings was beautiful, he’d never been able to see it like this from the school before. 

They rode along at a steady pace. But once they’d cleared the Academy, and found a highway, Yang revved the engine, shifting gears, and taking off into the city with a lurch, the front wheel coming off the ground slightly. 

He’d tried to hold it back, but he couldn’t help the small yelp that escaped and the instinctual reaction of holding on tighter to Yang. Going faster meant the wind was a lot sharper and colder, nipping at his cheeks and arms. Holding onto Yang so close, she apparently could feel his shivers as she called back over the whistling wind. 

“Aura.”

“R-right.” Oscar’s teeth chattered, waking up his aura quickly. 

He didn’t have any experience being in big city traffic, much less on a motorbike, so Yang picking up speed even more and weaving between cars and lanes had him hugging even tighter. Another gear shift had him burying his cheek into her back/hair as close as he could. 

He could feel the low, warm chuckle from Yang against her back, and quick pat on his hand with one of her own. 

“First time riding with me, isn’t it?” She called back. 

“More like just first time!” Oscar called back, still keeping his eyes shut. 

“Oh, ho ho, seriously?” Yang exclaimed. “You’ve never ridden on a motorcycle before?”

Oscar let out a noise, shaking his head against her back, still keeping his eyes shut. 

“Well, you’re with the best person  _ ever _ to have your first one with!” 

Even though his heart was pounding, keeping his eyes shut helped a little bit. The feeling of riding on the highway eventually settled within him, becoming a little lulling. He was awkward about having his arms around Yang at first, but now he absolutely didn’t want to let go. Once he’d gotten past the wind, loud noises all around, and terror of being on a bike, the sensation started settling in. He’d seen plenty of movies, and read plenty of books where two people ride motorcycles together, and he didn’t understand the scenes then, but now he did. Against Yang’s back, he was flooded with her warmth; she was known to be a human insulator. Her hair was still so soft, despite the hard work she’d done that day. The smell of gunpowder and leather of her jacket were overwhelming, but mixed in and noticeable by being so close, was the scent of honey and peaches. 

As the drive went on, he could feel himself starting to relax more. Breathing in the sweet scents, taking in the warmth, and feeling the lulling motion of the wheels beneath them running along the smooth ground. It felt nice. It felt so nice to just sit there, holding onto her as they cruised along. It felt so nice. Unconsciously, his arms wrapped further around her waist, hugging her more. 

It came rushing back how much he missed everyone. To have a moment with someone without everything else around them. Without duties or roles. Just them. But in this moment, he thought about how much he’d missed something like this with Yang. Just the two of them. When was the last time? 

~ ~

Oscar’s eyes fluttered open at the replacement of the cold cloth on his forehead. 

“How ya’ feeling today, kiddo?” Qrow sat down on the edge of the bed.

He tried to sit up, giving up with a grimace when his limbs and muscles still screamed in pain. “Take a guess.” He muttered, settling back under the covers. 

Qrow gave a huff of laughter, fixing the cloth back on his forehead. “Your temp’s still up there, and obviously you’re still pretty sore.” He paused, gauging Oscar’s face. “Any idea on Ozpin in there?”

Oscar shook his head, staring up at the ceiling, pulling at the hem of the sheets under the blanket. 

“Well, he could probably use the sleep anyway.” Qrow looked away for a second, patting Oscar’s leg. “I mean, I’m not even sure if he ever even left that office at Beacon, and I  _ know _ there was no bed in there.” He gave a toothy grin. 

Oscar let out a low groan, turning on his side, facing away from Qrow. He buried his face into the pillow, the damp cloth falling again. 

“Okay, okay,” Qrow held up his hands in surrender, “not feeling like talking today.” He reached over, fixing the cloth once more. “Keep resting up, and i’ll bring you some lunch in a little bit.” He stood up, heading to the door. “Just call me if you need anything.”

  
  


Oscar opened his eyes, turning over to stare at the ceiling. Sleep right now didn’t even feel like sleep. Every time he woke up it felt like he was more stiff and his headache was worse. He pressed a hand over his eye, trying to will it to go away. This was absolute torture. It had only been three days, but it felt like it had been far longer. Technically he could only call it two days since he was out cold the whole first day. 

Reaching over, he grabbed the scroll on the nightstand, checking the time. It had only been a few hours after Qrow brought him lunch and he somehow was able to keep it down. He sighed, placing it back down, settling back into the pillow. There was no way he was going back to sleep right now. Seems like that was all he was doing. Eating, sleeping, resting. True the state of his body right now wouldn’t allow him to really do anything else, but it had only been two days and he was sick of it. More importantly, he was the only one laid up like this. 

Everyone else just needed a quick day of rest and recharge and they were fine, while he was nowhere near better. When he woke up and finally processed they were back at the house, the embarrassment that rose in his chest was unbearable. And it wasn’t going away anytime soon with how he was still down and needing to be taken care of. They needed to get the lamp to Atlas, that was what Ozpin had said. Of course that meant get it there as soon as possible. They couldn’t do that with him like this. 

Closing his eyes, he focused inside his head. Searching for Ozpin. Was he awake yet? He hadn’t felt anything from him at all, but maybe the constant headaches could be to blame. Through a cracked voice he whispered. 

“Ozpin….?”

No response. Not even a flutter. 

Opening his eyes, he sighed. He continued to stare at the ceiling, rubbing the hem of the blanket. He counted the specks on the ceiling, he thought about nothing at all. Staring at the smooth, cream-colored surface. The dust that floated from the light streaming through the window. 

For not wanting someone to be part of his soul and in his head, he really wanted someone around right now. 

  
  


He must have dozed off as the sun was almost set, the room much darker. The blanket was pulled up over him and the cooling damp cloth had been replaced again. Taking a second, he strained his ears, listening to the house. It was quiet, a lot quieter than normal. Though he knew Qrow was keeping the others from being too loud around his room. 

Thinking about it, no one else had really come into his room to see him. Well, at least as far as he knew from when he’s been awake. It had just been Qrow. He’d come in every few hours to check on him, bring him food, water, anything he needed. And he never stayed for very long. Sometimes he wished he would. Even if he didn’t feel like talking, just someone to be there, or do something without needing to talk. Heck, he’d take a drunken rambling. 

But Qrow couldn’t always be here. He had important things to do. With Ozpin out of commission, he was the one in charge, and looking after everyone. He was just one out of seven other people to help take care of. Even then he was the outsider. He was the one barely anyone knew. Technically being Ozpin at the same time didn’t count. And ever since he got here, it seemed like everyone was taking extra care around him. 

But right now there was barely anybody around. They were probably all recovering themselves, but he also could hear them all moving about the house and doing whatever. So they must all be feeling better already. That just left him. They were waiting on him. They had to wait to secure one the most important objects in the world in Atlas because of him. 

Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to sit up. It hurt a lot more than he expected. He had to take a long few seconds to take a few deep breaths just from doing that. Maybe he just shouldn’t have sat up that fast. His head pounded, making him rest it in his hands as he breathed. Finally it subsided, letting him sit up straight. Taking another deep breath, he pulled the blankets and sheets away, swinging his legs over the edge, resting them on the ground. He grimaced at the movement, pushing it away, letting his feet find the wood flooring. 

He can take care of himself. He can get better by tomorrow, he just has to push through this now. If he can walk to the kitchen, make a simple cup of tea, and keep it down, then by tomorrow they could be on their way to Atlas. Simple plan. 

He raised his head looking at the ajar door. First step, to the door. And Qrow put him in the room on the first floor so he wouldn’t have to deal with the stairs. Preparing himself, he finally pushed off the bed; like ripping off a band-aid. 

It hurt. 

It hurt  _ a lot _ . 

Immediately his legs were screaming in pain. Biting down the groan of pain, he caught himself on the nightstand, keeping himself upright. Maybe he didn’t need to go so fast. Steadying himself, he slowly propped himself upright, standing without holding onto the nightstand. Once he had his feet under him, he braved the first step.Just get to the door. 

Every step was like glass under his feet, and his legs on fire. Every movement hurt and begged him to stop. But finally, he made it to the door. Grabbing the knob to give himself a break, he pushed the door open to go into the hallway. Seemed like everyone was out or somewhere else in the house, as the lights were dimmed and everything was quiet. Catching his breath, he prepared for the next part; getting to the kitchen down the hall. 

The hall was a much longer walk than from the bed to the door, but this time he had the wall to guide him more and steady himself. Hopefully, once he made it to the kitchen and made that cup of tea, he could get rid of the headache coming back. And maybe by the time he had done all that, the others would be back and they could see. He was better. They didn’t need to worry that much. 

Finally the kitchen came into view. So far so good. Grabbing the countertop, he took the chance of a quick few steps to reach the other side. Meeting the corner where the cabinets met, he let himself drop to kneel down, give his legs just a few seconds of rest. This headache was getting worse, and the pounding in his head was coming back. And it now felt like his cheeks were warm. Gritting his teeth, he pulled himself back up, leaning against the counter. This was good. He made it here, now he just had to make that cup of tea. Thankfully, the kettle had been left on the stove with some water in it, most likely from earlier, so all he had to do was turn on the stove. 

Now he could relax a little. He immediately regretted that thought as the energy was now very quickly leaving his body. Even with leaning against the counter, it was getting hard to stay standing. He just needed to do something else to keep himself moving in some way. Grabbing a cup from the cabinet should do it. Pushing himself to pivot where he stood, he huffed out a breath, reaching up and opening the cabinet. He cursed himself for being so short, as he had to get on his tiptoes to reach the cabinet handle. His arm dropped down with an exhale. Now just once more to grab the cup. Reaching up he grabbed the nearest teacup by the handle, pulling it down. 

Maybe he should have waited a few more seconds. As he lowered himself off his tiptoes, it was like a vacuum sucked him down. His legs gave out from under him, and a wave of dizziness washed over, from falling so suddenly or the worsening heat on his face he couldn’t tell. He had just enough time to twist so he fell on his side, catching himself on the floor with his arms, the teacup slipping from his hand though, rolling across the floor. He laid there, catching his breath for several moments, not noticing the teacup stopping at the edge of the room against a boot. 

“Aren’t you supposed to be in bed?” 

Oscar raised his head at the voice; busted. There was no way that this looked good or he could talk his way out. They came closer, kneeling in front of him. 

“You in there, short stack?” They waved a hand in front of his face; Yang. 

“Uh...hi, Yang…” He dropped his head to look away. 

“You okay?” Her tone softened, tilting her head to see his face he was trying to hide. “What are you even doing out here?”

“Nothing….” he muttered. 

Yang’s eyes flickered up to the lit stove, pursing her lips. “Alright. Well, let’s at least get you sitting up.”

He let her pull him up, leaning his back against the cabinets. Letting his shoulders sag, he let out a breath, feeling more tired than ever. “What are you doing out here?” He was able to croak out, finally lifting his head to look at her. 

“Nothing.” She replied with a smile. 

He tried to smile back, but a coughing fit interrupted it. Once it finally died down, the heat in his cheeks was unbearable. Yang’s hands were there to hold him by the shoulders, steadying him until it was over. 

“I think your bed would be more comfortable than the kitchen floor.” She suggested, flashing him a soft smile. 

“Yeah, okay….” he gave in, defeated. 

“Good.” Was all Yang said before taking his arms and throwing him over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes. 

“Wha-Yang!” He exclaimed, pawing at her back to try and twist to look at her. 

“For someone with two souls, you’re pretty light.” She jested, swiftly walking down the hall. 

Now he wasn’t sure if the heat was from being sick or the embarrassment of Yang carrying him like this. Thankfully it didn’t last too long as they made it to his room and he was dropped back into the bed, Yang pulling covers back over him. He would have protested, but the second his body hit the mattress again, he didn’t have the thought or energy to. He just let Yang prop the pillows up behind him so he could at least sit up comfortably. 

“Stay right there, i’ll be right back.” She said, pointing a finger at him as she left the room. 

It was a few minutes before she came back, Oscar questioned even a few times if she actually was coming back. But then there she was-and a tea tray in hand. Pulling the chair in the room over with her foot, she set the tray down on the nightstand. 

“You like any cream or sugar in yours?” She poured water into two cups with tea bags in them. 

“Huh?” Oscar blinked. “Oh-uh, just a little sugar.” 

The next moment he had a warm cup in his hands, Yang taking a seat in the chair with her own, sipping it, a content smile on her face. 

“Uh...thanks…” Oscar said, running a thumb against the cup, letting the sweet aroma drift up to his nose. 

“No problem.” Yang replied, taking another sip. “Drink up, it’s better when it’s hot, or so i’m told.”

“R-right.”

The two sat in silence drinking their tea for a few minutes, the sound of the birds outside being their only companion. Once he’d finished, Yang took the cup back, setting it on the tray. Oscar sat back, relaxing into the pillows. The comfy bed and warm tea had made him forget all about the pain and feeling sick. 

“You know,” Yang spoke up, cleaning up the tray, “it’s okay to ask for help.”

“Huh?” Oscar lifted his head back up, blinking at her. 

“Just remembering something my dad told me while I was back at home.” She shrugged. “You know, after I lost my arm and all, I was always trying to do everything by myself. Like I was trying to prove I could even though I was still hurt.”

“And…?” 

“And finally, one day I just bit the bullet and let my dad help me.” She sat back in the chair. “Man, things became so much easier. Especially after finally putting this thing on.” She flexed her prosthetic hand out in front of her. 

“So,” she repeated, “it’s okay to ask for help.”

Oh.

She meant him. She was trying to tell him he could ask them for help. 

“That’s...that’s a good lesson.” He pulled at the hem of the blanket. 

“Speaking of which,” She leaned forward, “do you need anything, Oscar?” 

“N-no, i’m okay.” He said a little too quickly. 

He could feel her skeptical pout. Then a small tug on his ear. 

“Hey, I didn’t just give you a lesson asking for help for you to then lie about it.” There it was. The straightforward Yang. 

She let go of his ear as he pushed it away to look over at her. His lips parted and closed several times trying to talk. And she waited, patiently until it finally came out. 

“Can you just stay here for awhile?” He gripped the blanket tightly. “I haven’t really seen anyone for awhile. I mean I don’t think i’m contagious.”

“Qrow told us to give you space, and you’ve been sleeping most of the time.” She smiled, ruffling his hair. “We didn’t really want to bother you. But I can come around more often if you want.”

“Really? I wouldn’t want to bother you-”

Another tug on his ear. “You just asked me if I could stay here, you’re not bothering anyone.” 

She let go, continuing. “You look pretty worn out, I can hang out until you fall asleep and come back when you’re up.”

“That wouldn’t be long.” Oscar flopped back against the pillows. “I can barely get any actual sleep.” He pressed a hand to his forehead. 

“Well good thing for you,” Yang scooted closer, “I know a remedy.”

“Really?” He raised an eyebrow. 

“Yep.” Yang popped. “Now just lie down.” She moved the pillows for him so he could shift to laying down fully. Once he was settled, she laid the back of her hand against his forehead for a brief moment. The next she had grabbed the damp cloth, rewetting it, and placing it across his forehead. The coolness was a huge relief he didn’t realize he needed. Situation herself in her chair, she leaned forward. 

“Now just close your eyes and relax.” She said. “And i’ll tell you the best story you’ve ever heard. It’s one of Ruby’s favorites.”

“Really?” He asked again, cracking his eyes open for a moment. 

“Uh-huh,” she nodded, “it’s called  _ The Sunflower Queen _ .” Then every so softly, she began to run her hand through his hair, a gentle motion as she began the story. 

He was out in less than a minute, and for once slept through the night. 

~ ~

  
  


“Oscar. Hey, Oscar, we’re here.”

Oscar opened his eyes, coming back to the world. They’d stopped moving, the wind blowing against his face only being that of the winter breeze now. Yang was looking back at him, the same smile as in his memory on her face. It took him a few moments to process, and he realized he was still hugging her around the waist. 

“Oh, sorry.” He peeled himself away, taking off the helmet, while she did the same. 

She just laughed, shaking out her hair. “Seems like you got used to it pretty quick. I thought you’d actually fallen asleep back there for a second.”

“Wha-no!” Oscar waved his hands in front of him, a blush creeping onto his face. He swung his legs over, turning away from her. “I was just...thinking.”

He lifted his head, now wondering where and why they’d stopped. The sight that entered his eyes answered that. They’d stopped at the edge of one of the business regions. The sky was in full view. A breathtaking sunset; the perfect streams of purples, pinks, and oranges, while the setting sun shone through the clouds at perfect eye level to make all of those colors glow. 

Yang had gotten off of the bike, walking around to lean against it next to him as he stayed seated, taking in the view. 

“Great view right?” She crossed her arms. “I know you and Ruby like to do this, so I figured we’d stop for a few minutes. And why rush to get back to a stuffy old academy?”

“The view from there definitely has nothing on this one.” He replied. “You can see everything.”

“So…” Yang started after several moments of silence. “What were you thinking about?”

“Huh?” He blinked, looking over at her. 

“On the bike.” She said. “What were you thinking about? Seemed pretty deep to make you forget you were on a bike for the first time.”

“Just remembering something really.” He answered, looking back forward. 

“Is it….something of yours or….” She trailed off at the implication. 

“Mine.” Oscar answered with a huff of a laugh. “Just mine…..”

“Oh, okay.” 

He gave another low laugh at her answer. 

“What?” Yang peered at him. 

“Nothing, really.” He answered. “That’s just what it usually sounds like with Ironwood when he asks me the same thing.”

“He still thinks Ozpin is around….” Yang turned her head down, a flash of guilt on her face. 

“Well, he is still.” Oscar said, keeping his eyes forward. 

“What do you mean?” She raised her head in a snap at him. He could feel her stare on him. The pressing one. 

“Back in Argus. He did come back to help me. So that means he is still here in a way. He’s watching. But we- _ I _ just can’t get him to actually come out…..wherever he is in my head, he won’t leave, and I don’t have any way to get there either.” Oscar folded his hands in his lap. 

“But Ironwood thinks you can.” Yang finished the thought for him. “And that’s our fault.” She dropped her shoulders. 

“I trust Ruby….” Oscar said, shrugging. “And I know you all want to tell him eventually, you just don’t know right now with everything he’s doing. I understand that. And we’ve seen what the truth can do…..” 

Yang blinked at his words, her fingers unconsciously gripping into her jacket. He was talking about them, about the woods and Argus. He didn’t speak again, leaving them in another space of silence. She turned her head to him. He was still staring out into the sunset, eyes locked on it. But she could still see all the different emotions he was trying to hide behind the action. 

“I’m sorry.”

He turned his head at her, the emotions steeling his look softening.

“I’m sorry.” She repeated, turning her body to full face him. He just looked at her in question. 

“For the way I acted before. For everything.” She continued. “I never apologized for what I did back in the woods, with Jinn, and even now.”

He didn’t reply, just watching her. 

“My dad and Uncle Qrow were always telling me to control my temper.” She sauntered forward away from the bike. “And I really thought I had it under control, at least in my fighting. Guess I didn’t work on it enough outside of that.”

“Yang…”

She turned around to face him again. “I lost control out there. I lost control…...and I got the answers I wanted…...but by hurting you in the process.”

Oscar lowered his head. “You needed to know the truth….”

“Not at  _ your _ cost.” Yang shook her head. “And not in the way it happened.” 

“But i’m the one who did it.” Oscar didn’t raise his head. 

“No-” Yang stepped forward.

“I’m the one who did it!” Oscar cut her off, raising his head. She stopped, staring at him. 

“I’m the one who took control away from him.” He continued. “I’m the one who forced the truth out. I’m the one who betrayed him this time!” 

The yell echoed off the air,Yang watching Oscar where he sat as he breathed deeply, gripping at the edges of his coat. He took a second to wipe at his face. 

“Oscar.” Yang took another step forward, reaching out a hand. She hovered it over his shoulder, lowering it down slowly, gauging if he would let her. 

“They were others that betrayed him like Lionheart.” He still didn’t look at her. “People who he thought that he could trust with his life, and then they turn their back and go against him. This time it was me…...the one person he’s supposed to be able to trust more than anyone.” He wiped at his face again, sniffling. “He hurt all of you, and I’m the one who hurt him.”

“You just did what you thought was right.” She rubbed a thumb over his shoulder. “You wanted answers just as much as the rest of us, because even though you two were sharing a mind, he was still keeping things from  _ you _ .”

She took his other shoulder. “But you’re  _ not _ the one who hurt him. Ozpin wanted us to trust him like he did us, but he kept keeping things from us that we should know. When you keep secrets, it’s only a matter of time before they come out into the open.”

“But-”

“The way we acted was what hurt him.” She cut him off. “The way that I acted pushed everyone else over the edge. And I never even thought of you being in the crossfire.”

She let go of one of his shoulders as he finally looked up at her. “I treated you like you were him, and it’s not fair. And i’m sorry.” Moving her hand, she rested it on his head for a moment. “You’re like my very own little brother I never had. And I almost made the same mistake I did with Ruby.”

Her hands moved away, as she moved to lean back against the bike beside him again. “I ended up pushing away people I love again back then.”

“I was never mad at you.” Oscar finally said. 

“I wouldn’t have blamed you if you were.” Yang replied, crossing her arms. “There’s still a lot of things I have to figure out. Everything is changing again and again for me.”

“Well, I do too.” Oscar said, taking a deep breath. “I’ve been so unsure of a lot of things. I’ve had to start figuring things out. Things have changed, and are still changing. And until Ozpin comes back, if he ever does, I have to do it myself.”

He looked over at her. “Maybe we can figure stuff out together.”

They sat and watched the sunset for a little while longer, until Yang announced they should head back. As they rode back to the academy, it was Yang’s turn to think. Whatever was wrong with Oscar may be something to do with her. He’s trying to make up for what Ozpin did, and she’s the one who made him feel responsible for it. He needs her and others to help him take that weight away from him, and tell him that they care. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this chapter!~
> 
> A funny story with this chapter is that i've had all of them outlined for months, so color me surprised with a V8 preview showed Yang and Oscar on a motorbike together. So yes, this was planned way before that preview clip came out. But hey, that means an idea I had in canon now. 
> 
> Yang and Oscar were a bit of another struggle to get right for the flow of this chapter. And you can bet this won't be the last time we see and explore what Oscar talked about with Yang. 
> 
> And the moment you've waited for- the next on the lineup for time with Oscar is........................Qrow! We'll spend time with Qrow and then into the JNPR chapters. 
> 
> Comments and feedback are always welcome~

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Who should be the first to spend time with Oscar and start the detective work? (Everyone will get their chance~)
> 
> Comments and Feedback are always welcome!~


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